Track 01: BathRoom
by RuriNoAme
Summary: -REVISED- Five lucky girls get the chance to meet Visual Kei band 'the GazettE' after a fanclub only concert one evening ... soon realising that their lives would be intertwined from then on ... -Hetero-
1. Chapter 01

**WARNINGS:** minimal coarse language

* * *

It was a slow day at the store. Superb-Mart, a little convenience store nestled amongst houses in a quiet street in Tokyo, and two shop girls just happened to be caught in the middle of a quiet time of the day. It was quite a difference comparing it to the rush hour mornings and evenings because it would either become very busy quickly or very slow quickly. Being a Friday afternoon, this particular day seemed to be moving slow on purpose because the two girls, also best-friends, happened to be going to a fan-club only concert held by popular rock band, the GazettE. Two other friends were to be meeting them at a new venue – the 'Yoshiatsu Dome' – that was built a couple of weeks prior, so with the GazettE being the first band to perform there was kind of a big deal … and the girls were not going to miss it, no matter how slow the day was.

One of the girls, Sakura Ai, blonde hair and black streaks and dark brown eyes, was the cashier on one of only two check-outs … so naturally you can only imagine how busy it did get when the time came. With the automatic door only a few feet in front of her check-out, she got a good view of outside, so it wasn't completely boring. However she'd become sick of watching outside so had resorted to reading the latest issue of 'Shoxx', with the GazettE as the main article. At the same time she also wore her earphones and was currently listening to the bands latest single 'Filth in the Beauty'. Elsewhere in the store, Ai's friend, Yamasaki Megumi, was doing her job of staking shelves. Megumi is a spirited girl with long reddish-brown hair in tight curls and natural green eyes; quite unusual for a Japanese girl, but Megumi was actually half Japanese and half British.

Megumi was effortlessly carrying a stack of empty boxes along one of the aisles, heading for the front of the store having just come from unpacking it's contents onto the shelves. They were to be thrown out, so they were brought to the front of the shop, ready for when the garbage collectors came past in the evening. Walking past Ai's checkout, but not disturbing her at all because she was so enveloped in reading her magazine, Megumi left through the automatic door. Turning a sharp left she stacked the boxes neatly beside another pile of them out of the way of the doors. Clapping her hands a couple of times to shake them of dust and grime, she made her way back into the shop. Having finished her job for the moment, Megumi just went straight over to Ai to see what she was doing that was capturing all of her attention.

"Hoi, what's up?!"

Megumi said loudly, tapping Ai on the shoulder to get her to look up. Ai jumped with a start and quickly pulled the earphones out, looking wide-eyed and surprised.

"Huh? What, what's going on?"

Megumi giggled, a hint of mischief in her tone – that had been a successful scare, which had eased her boredom for a short time. Ai realised she'd just become Megumi's victim of a scare tactic so she replaced the earphones, leaned back over her magazine and continued to read. Megumi sighed deeply and walked in a slow circle around the front of the shop between Ai's checkout and the door, every so often causing it to open and close randomly. If the manager could see her, he would have told her off by now for doing that.

"Ugh! No one is here, I'm so bored!"

She finally said and opted for perching herself up on the checkout across from Ai. Glancing around quickly to make sure the manager really wasn't there, she quickly pulled her cell-phone from the pocket of her skirt. Her outfit consisted of slim-line black skirt to the knee, white collared shirt and a grey v-neck sweater over that, and with black platform shoes … her favourite because she was quite short. Flipping open her cell-phone, Megumi decided to call their other friend Mika to find out where she and Kikyo were. Ai absentmindedly flipped another page of her magazine while she looked up to watch her.

"Hey, if your going to call Mika, tell her to wait with Kikyo out the front somewhere we can see them. And make sure she has our tickets and fan-club passes".

Both Megumi and Ai were semi-ready clothing-wise for their concert. Ai had gone for an all-black look; tight black pants, black cami with lace trimming along the top, black fitted dress jacket with three quarter sleeves and simple black slip-on shoes. Sadly the green apron they both had to wear didn't compliment the look. Back to Megumi, she adjusted her collar and sweater while waiting for Mika to answer. She was taking an awfully long time to answer and Megumi now started tangling a curl of hair around her finger, until suddenly there was a loud '_moshi-moshi_' on the other end. It caused Megumi to grimace and pull the phone away from her ear. Ai had heard it even through her earphones, so she looked up and listened.

"Mika? What's with the shouting, where are you? Is Kikyo with you?"

A shouted voice came over the phone even though it wasn't on loudspeaker.

"_Yeah, Kikyo is right here and we're standing in the crowd outside the Yoshiatsu Dome. It's still early but the outside is just jammed with fans!_"

Megumi raised her eyebrows and looked at Ai – it was only coming up to four o'clock, the concert wasn't set to start until seven that evening, but from what they could here there was a big crowd outside the venue. Most likely the fans were there early for the merchandise and also to get a good look at the new Dome. Seemed that Mika and Kikyo had been sucked in by the temptation as well.

"Mika, Ai says to make sure you have our tickets and fan-club passes. We won't get in unless we have both".

"_Yeah, yeah, the tickets and passes are here! Just hurry up and finish work! Kikyo and I are going to raid the merchandise tables before it's all gone. We'll get you something too!_"

And then Megumi's phone made a loud scratchy click, which meant that Mika had obviously hung up. Megumi jumped at the loud click in her ear and just made a weird face at Ai – Mika and Kikyo were already caught up in the atmosphere by the sound of it. But at least Mika was nice enough to buy them something … chances are by the time Megumi and Ai get there, there would be nothing left. Mika, Kikyo, Megumi, Ai and another girl Kira were all going to another Fan Club only concert held by the GazettE. Mika and Kikyo were in charge of keeping their place in line, while Megumi and Ai were waiting to finish their shift in just over an hour before Kira came to pick them up. Kira also worked at the same shop as them but only part-time – she was already involved with modelling, which is where she currently was.

Megumi pocketed her phone again and slid off the checkout counter before dawdling away to try and find something constructive to do. Ai meanwhile just bent her head back down over the magazine, continuing to listen to music and waiting for any sign of a customer or possibly a cranky manager. Absentmindedly Ai looked at her watch to see how much longer they had to wait – it showed around a quarter to four; they were to be finishing at five. Kira should be arriving soon, even though she would be an hour early, there was really nowhere else she needed to be. At least with Kira around, then the girls wouldn't be so bored … and Ai was quickly running out of magazine to read, especially when she was really only interested in the article about the GazettE anyway.

--

Having lost interest in trying to find other odd jobs to do, Megumi had began to aimlessly wander in and out of each aisle, glancing over the shelves and wondering if she actually needed to buy anything for home. Finally she stopped at the sweets shelf, snatched a chocolate bar and again made her way back to Ai's checkout. Holding the end of the bar in her teeth she dug a hand into her pocket for change, and finding exactly two hundred yen in coins, she set them down beside Ai's magazine. Ai stopped reading long enough to open the register and divide the coins up into the right slots before swinging back around to keep reading. Megumi walked around to glance at the magazine over Ai's shoulder, seeing it was up side down to her. She started to read a little of the interview with Alice Nine, seeing Ai had finished the GazettE's article ages ago.

"Oh, Alice Nine are in this month's issue too? Damn, I should have bought it!

And in leaning over a bit closer she could hear Ai still listening to 'Filth in the Beauty'. Of course the single had two other tracks with it, but listening to three songs over and over had to get annoying after a while. Megumi plucked an earphone out of Ai's ear.

"Look, I know you have great taste in music but aren't you getting sick of that song yet?"

"A true GazettE fan wouldn't say that".

Ai joked and raising her eyebrows at Megumi, gently yanking the earphone back from her and earning a silly giggle from the redhead. Ai now let the earphones hand around her neck and she reached into her pocket to turn the volume up to Megumi could hear – they had decent enough sound so the songs could be heard very clearly. Just then a girl walked in but Ai and Megumi were so engulfed in reading and listening to music that they hadn't noticed. The girl approached them and, seeing they were facing away from her, leaned her head over Ai's opposite shoulder to Megumi. Ai jumped from surprise, realising it was Kira.

Kira had shoulder length brown hair with multi-shades of blond highlights and the ends of the layers were flicked outwards. Her outfit, considering she was going to the concert, consisted of tight black thigh-length skirt, a black fitted vest that revealed a small part of her stomach and it's belly-button ring. Numerous chains around her neck and bangles on her wrists added sparkle, while black leg-warmers, like what Uruha was famous for, completed the look. Plain black heels gave her a little bit of height too.

"Welcome back, Ki! Did you have a fun day?"

Megumi asked, giving her fashionable friend a quick hug. Ai smiled after receiving her cuddle from Kira.

"Another photo-shoot today, right? How was it? Hope they didn't work you too hard".

"Yeah, another shoot. It sucked though; it's always the same thing … flouncy dresses and snobby suits. I was glad to get out of there and change for tonight. But I can't complain because the money is good and they're nice".

Kira answered truthfully. She wasn't really excited about showing off high-price outfits for upper-class business types or just younger people with a lot of money … but she loved modelling and wasn't afraid to say she took great photos. And thanks to the good money she got from the job, it was all going towards her future dream career of designing her own line of clothes. Ai raised her eyebrows at Kira.

"Is that right? Well, I work here if you haven't noticed, Miss Fussy".

Kira stuck her tongue out at Ai before glancing down at her watch.

"I work here too, but it's my day off! You're just jealous. It's close to your clock-off time anyway. Soon we can go party with the GazettE. Their gig is called 'One Night Stand', isn't it? It's such a … _suggestive_ title, but I love it!"

Kira made an exaggerated shuddering motion of her body, like someone had run their finger up her spine, and Megumi and Ai laughed at her – they knew she was thinking about Reita. You could say the girls all had their little crushes on one of the guys, which was very fitting considering there were five of them and five of the girls. Kira liked Reita because he was such a 'guy' according to what she said. Megumi liked Kai because he was so nice. Ai didn't admit it openly but she had a thing for Aoi because he was a dork just like her. Kikyo had the crush on Uruha because she loved his guitar skills and she played acoustic guitar herself. While Mika had it in for Ruki for several reasons – her excuse was there were too many to name, but her friends knew that she was secretly in love with his rebellious streak.

* * *

At the end of the little street that the store was located on, a long black van had slowly coasted around the corner. It was coming from a cross street and was now heading in the direction of the store, moving still at a slow pace as the driver was clearly lost. People walking along the sidewalks couldn't help but stare and wonder why a large odd-looking vehicle was in a regular suburban neighbourhood – it was the kind of car celebrities ride in. And the fact that it was driving slowly was odd enough. The driver was glancing around curiously, watching for any street signs that might tell him where in Tokyo he was. A couple of times slowing down to read a sign, but realising it wasn't what he was looking for, moved off again. He was transporting five other passengers, who were hiding behind extremely dark tinted windows for very good reason.

On the left side of the van, in the back row, a window was rolled down a couple of centimetres. A man with razored black hair and a lip ring sat beside it while nursing a cigarette to his mouth. Four other men sat around him. One beside him with bleach blond hair and black roots was busy playing air-bass while listening to music through earphones. Another with blond and frosted brown dread-locks tied up high was sitting beside him, busy writing something on a small note-pad. In the middle row, behind the driver's row, was another black haired man with faint frown highlights – he had a laptop sitting in his lap and was busy putting random songs together in a list. Beside him was a rather tall, slender man with multi-shades of brown hair, watching the window through large sunglasses as the world went by. All of them were just in every-day clothing.

"This is ridiculous! I think we should just stop and ask for direction. Pull up at that store over there and I'll go in myself".

The man by the open window finally said. He butts out his cigarette in the ashtray on the door-handle. The driver hesitates before pulling up on the side of the road directly across from the store, and the frustrated man in the back opened the sliding door of the van. Just as he was about to step out, the man with the lap-top grabbed his arm.

"Wait, Aoi! I don't think we should be stopping here and walking around without guards. You may just get caught and we can't afford that right now".

"Yeah, Kai is right. And it's your fault we got lost in the first place. Now we're late getting back!"

The tall man beside Kai said in a slightly annoyed tone. Aoi just made a face at him. The man with the dread-locks, Ruki, looked up from writing, turning from Uruha to Aoi.

"Exactly, it anyone see's us, all it takes is one person to call a screaming mob over to this car. We haven't got time to out-run fans right now. We should just call our manager to ask him how we can get back from here".

"Ah you worry too much. I won't be long. Give me five minutes …"

Aoi said with a grin that wasn't very convincing and twisted his arm free of Kai as he stepped out of the van and shut the door behind him. As Aoi crossed the road he adjusted his sunglasses and lifted the collar of his jacket up to hide his face. Aoi doubted anyone would recognise him as long as he kept a low profile. Everyone in the van was watching him until Uruha finally spoke up.

"I give him thirty seconds. He'll come running out being chased by fans. Reita … five thousand yen he gets caught".

Uruha reached backwards over his seat with his palm facing up. The bass player heard him and pulled one earphone out as he sat forward enough to slap Uruha's hand, giving a little chuckle before angling his head to try and see through the stores automatic door.

"Hmm I doubt it, from here it looks like the store is dead silent. Worst that could happen is someone recognises him and asks for an autograph. I mean he can't be that obvious to give himself away, can he?"

--

Aoi pushed his hands into the pockets of his jacket as he walked through the automatic door of the shop. He stopped just inside the door and looked around, never removing his sunglasses. There were no people around except three girls sitting around at one register just a few feet from where he stood. Perfect … surely no one would recognise him while it was quiet. He bit his bottom lip and glanced around over his shoulder back at the van before walking over to the girl reading a magazine, with presumably her two friends leaning over either shoulder and reading along with her. At the same time the girls really hadn't noticed someone walked into the store until he was standing right in front of them. All three looked up at the same time to see a tall, mysterious looking guy, head-to-toe in dark clothes. He bowed a little out of politeness.

"Uh … sumimasen, but could you please tell me how I can get to the 'Yoshiatsu Dome' from here? I'm kind of in a hurry and was meant to be back there ages ago. I kind of got lost heading back …"

Aoi made a little nervous laugh after speaking, to try and make it more convincing that he was lost. He then made a quick glance back to the van to check that people hadn't swamped the vehicle yet. To his relief it was silent outside and he could just see Ruki's sunglasses peering through a gap in one of the open windows. He then turned back to the girls and smiled. Ai smiled back.

"That's the new building, isn't it? It's not far from here, I don't think. Go to the end of this street and turn left, that street will take you back to the main road. Take a right and follow that road, it will take you straight there. The only reason I know is because we're going to the GazettE concert tonight. What about you? You're going to the same venue".

"Yeah uh … my friends and I are … uh … on our way back there now. We uh … tried a shortcut but ended up getting lost in the wrong direction".

_Phew, good save_. Maybe he should be an actor … anyway he'd gotten what he came for – so they weren't far from the venue after all. Maybe Ruki was right; they should have just called their manager. The other two weren't really listening to the conversation – for a moment they couldn't help but stare at him … not only did he look oddly familiar, but his voice was too. But when Megumi looked at Kira, Kira mouthed something to her and suddenly it clicked. Megumi gasped sharply, while Ai and the mystery man jumped in surprise. Megumi snatched Ai's magazine and held up the front cover to show him.

"Hey, do you know of a Visual Kei band called 'the GazettE'? You could be Aoi's twin; he's one of the guitarists! You and Aoi could really be twins; you should cosplay him. Gee, I wish Mika and Kikyo could see this!"

Ai immediately elbowed Megumi in the side. Megumi mumbled something as she looked away and Kira snickered as she too looked away. Aoi couldn't help but let out a choking sound when one girl mentioned he looked like … well … _himself_. Aoi anxiously pulled the collar of his jacket up a little more and pushed the sunglasses further up his nose. Ai frowned at Megumi.

"Shut up, Megumi, your embarrassing yourself. This poor guy probably gets that comment a lot just because he has the same lip-ring".

Aoi went to say it was alright but quickly shut his mouth with the girl Megumi spoke again.

"Sorry, I just thought they look alike. Hey, can I take a photo of you to show our friends? I bet they would agree with me!"

This time Ai backhanded Megumi in the stomach, but not enough to hurt. Kira giggled but the 'Aoi look-a-like' shifted nervously from one foot to the other. He had a feeling they were starting to suspect something, and yet here he was still standing there talking to the girls. He'd gotten the directions a while ago but he still hadn't left … his band mates would probably come looking for him next.

"Meg, you can't just ask someone a question like that, it's rude. Not to mention he's probably embarrassed now! Don't mind my friend, she's just very persistent".

Ai was looking at Megumi first before turning to apologise to the guy. Aoi smiled and shook his head with a little laugh, to show that he didn't mind … in fact it was the first time he'd been asked for a photo just because a person thought he was someone else. Even Kira leaned behind Ai to swat Megumi's arm lightly, telling her to just keep quiet for a while. Finally Aoi decided it was probably time to leave.

"Sa … arigatou gozaimasu for the directions. Let's hope we all enjoy the concert tonight, ne?"

Ai nodded with another smile.

"No problem. Glad I could help, and you enjoy the concert too".

"Yeah, see you later! Enjoy the concert, and we may just see you there!"

Megumi said heartily with a grin. As Aoi bowed again, the front of his jacket fell open a little to reveal a promotional t-shirt for their 'One Night Stand' gig, currently only released to the band and staff. Ai just looked at the man for a second, noticing the t-shirt he was trying to cover up … it confirmed what she'd been thinking all this time. Aoi fumbled to close his jacket as he stood up straight, nodded a nervous thank-you to the girls, to which Ai returned the smile, and Aoi turned on his heel to leave the way he came. Kira and Megumi had seen the t-shirt too but didn't say anything. Megumi quickly ran over to glance around the edge of the glass door as she watched the man heading back to a shiny black van. Ai opened her magazine again to keep reading.

"Get away from that door, Meg, you can't have a photo of him!"

Kira just giggled as Megumi looked back at them and stuck her tongue out, but she stayed by the door to spy on him a little longer. The fact he was walking back to such a fancy vehicle was strange … a mini-van of all things. And he was certainly no younger than twenty-five, so what was he and his friends doing going to a concert that was mostly attending by hundreds of screaming girls? Any guys that went were either dragged along by their girlfriends or just there to listen to some hard-rock music. Maybe he was the type to go along to these concerts to pick up girls, and his friends were tagging along too?

--

Meanwhile outside, Aoi had left the store in such a hurry that just him leaving so fast would surely make people suspicious of who he was. As he got closer to the van, Aoi looked up at Ruki still peaking through the open side window. He swallowed hard when he noticed Ruki shake his head before closing the window again. _Great, I'm in trouble again_, Aoi thought grumpily. Running around to the side door, he quickly glanced around one last time before opening it and bending down to lean over the front seat. All the while his band mates were watching silently as he relayed the direction they needed to go. After that he moved to get back to his seat beside Reita, where he sat and then pushed the sliding door closed. The driver made sure the street was clear before moving off down the road again. It was now Ruki spoke up.

"You're an idiot! I saw you bow to the girls and then quickly cover yourself up. Obviously you are wearing our 'One Night Stand' t-shirt".

Aoi sighed harshly and just looked out of his window, clearly not interested in an argument – they were on their way again, what did it matter if he was discovered? Reita frowned and looked at Ruki.

"So? A lot of people wear our gig t-shirts, that doesn't mean it exposed him. Why is it a problem? Unless he shouts, 'Hey look at me, I'm Aoi from the GazettE!'"

Reita said the last part as he waved both hands in the air, pretending to be Aoi. Kai and Uruha snickered softly in their seat in front of the other three, but Ruki and Aoi didn't laugh … Ruki was too busy being moody and Aoi was doing the same. This time Kai decided to explain.

"Well, the t-shirt he's wearing hasn't been released to fans yet, only the staff and us. And by the way the girls were dressed, they look to be going to our concert too. Chances are if they think about it long enough, they may just realise who he is, or at worst, one of our staff".

Uruha glanced over his shoulder and made an 'oooo' sound at Aoi just to tease him. Aoi didn't respond, only continuing to watch as the van driver managed to find his way onto the main road the checkout girl had described. Kai smiled reassuringly at Aoi even though he probably didn't notice before turning back to stare at the set-list on his laptop. Ruki went back to writing in his note-pad. Uruha then looked at Reita.

"Hey! You owe me five thousand yen!"

"I fuckin' do not! He wasn't chased out of the store".

The bass player replied flatly, earning a cranky growl from the tall guitarist who promptly turned around again to slouch in his seat. Aoi was over the whole fiasco already, and was now only interested in getting to the venue quickly and safely. At least they'd stopped hanging the whole thing on him, it wasn't like he'd done it on purpose … and that was because it had been his fault. After practicing all day at the venue, he'd suggested going out for lunch, so the five of them plus the driver had left in a van to go further into the city for lunch. However on the way back, the driver came to a traffic accident, which was holding up a lot of cars on the road they'd taken and they couldn't get around it. Unfortunately Aoi was convinced he knew how to get around it, so he guided the driver off the main road and into a series of side-street "short cuts".

But of course they ended up lost and driving aimlessly on through more little streets, trying to find the main road again. Chances are if they'd stayed on the main road and waited for the accident to clear, they would have been back a long time ago, but Aoi was now feeling very stupid for thinking he could get them back without having to wait. From now on he wasn't going to try the sort of thing again unless he really knew where he was. The whole trip wasn't a complete waste of time though, he'd been able to stretch his legs in the store, and even talked to the GazettE fans normally without being jumped on. Whether they'd recognised him or not, it was a nice feeling. After a few minutes of driving along the main road, Aoi was sick of the eerie silence so he leaned forward to speak quietly to Kai.

"Hey Kai … I've been meaning to ask. What's the deal with building a venue like the Yoshiatsu Dome? It's only just across the road from Budoukan, isn't it a bit tight to put two big buildings so close together?"

Kai glanced over his shoulder and laughed at Aoi, nodding his understanding.

"I guess it is a bit close, but from what I've heard, it's trying to rival the Yokohama Arena. You know, because they have two stadiums beside each other? So Yoshiatsu is like a sister live house to Budoukan".

"But why name it something else? Why not just give it the same name, like Budoukan Two or something?"

Aoi made a joke on purpose to try and lighten the atmosphere, which had been successful before Uruha and Reita did laugh quietly to themselves. However Ruki was too focused on writing to notice as his pen flew across the page in rapid lines. Kai laughed again and shrugged.

"Well I wasn't in charge of naming the place so I don't know. But anyway, it's perfect for tonight seeing it's a Fan-Club Only live show. I mean it's a little smaller height-wise than Budoukan, with only one level of balcony seats instead of two, but the floor size is the same".

Uruha now turned to look at Kai.

"At least with the interior being the same as Budoukan, we can still find our way around easily. Once the stage was all set-up it was just like being at Budoukan again, only the ceiling was lower because of only one balcony level".

Kai looked at Uruha while he spoke and then nodded a confirmation – it would be an easy performance thanks to identical interior hall. And considering their stage layout was the same as their 'Nameless Liberty' final, it gave the guys just that much more of an advantage. This would be their last chance to have a decent sized Fan Club concert in Tokyo for a while because in just under a month they would be off on another Japan-wide tour. To promote the bands new singles 'Regret' and 'Filth in the Beauty', plus another new one in the middle of the tour, tonight's gig was just the thing they needed to work up the enthusiasm for the long road ahead. The guys just hoped that it would be a killer performance to remember.

* * *

**NOTES:**  
1) 'Filth in the Beauty': This song is to indicate exactly when in time the story starts - November 2006  
2) Yoshiatsu Dome: This is not a real venue in Japan so I wouldn't recommend trying to find it lol  
3) 'One Night Stand' gig: Also not one of their Lives, so no t-shirts were made of course

Please read & review :)


	2. Chapter 02

**WARNINGS:** -none-

* * *

Soon enough as the van travelled down the highway, the Yoshiatsu Dome came into view not far away. It was just how it was described … and just behind it, Budoukan was now coming into view. Kai was right, they looked like twins, only Yoshiatsu was just that little bit smaller. They were still about five minutes drive away but almost every street they passed, there were already little groups of girls heading along the foot-paths to reach the Dome. They were either cosplaying one of the guys, dressed up in Punk, Gothic or Lolita styles, or in normal clothes. To see their fans walking this distance all the way to the Dome only meant one thing – who ever had driven there couldn't find a car-park any closer than where they were walking now. And being a Fan-Club Only concert in Tokyo, there was likely to be more fans turning up from other areas of the country.

"Hey, check it out! Those would be the screaming fans we were expecting!"

Uruha said with a laugh, leaning over Kai a little so he could see out the side door and watch as the van passed numerous groups of them.

"Oh this is going to be so great! I just have a feeling it's going to go off tonight! And I say thanks to having the same stage set-up again".

"Look, everything in Yoshiatsu is the same as Budoukan! There's just no second balcony, so settle down".

Kai said firmly, now using one hand to push Uruha back into his seat, but the guitarist was just too excited. The closer they drove to the Dome, the more hyped up he was getting, and even Aoi had come out of his slump to laugh and smile as he too watched the fans. Reita was sitting forward to glance around Aoi, marvelling at how many people they passed and Ruki had finished writing so he too watched. After a minute he looked out of his window and up at the sky – it was darker than normal for almost five in the afternoon, so he had a feeling it was likely to snow again. But nothing was going to bring him down from putting on a great performance, and he knew that the other guys would give it their all as well. The rest of the trip to the Dome was relatively smooth but the driver kept the Dome in his sights the whole time for fear of getting lost again.

* * *

Meanwhile back at the store, Kira and joined Megumi at the shops door to watch as the van made its way down the street and out of sight. Both of them had then started discussing how Aoi-like the man looked, that it was curious he was wearing a concert t-shirt that hadn't been printed for fans to buy yet. Ai was trying to ignore them as she still kept reading her magazine and with her and Megumi's shift almost over she couldn't wait to leave. The afternoon was dragging on ridiculously slow and the sky was gradually going over-cast, threatening to snow for the second time that day. The girls couldn't imagine what it would be like for the band to travel around the country on tours when it snowed almost everyday during Winter. But they had been around long enough to handle it by now. Suddenly Ai couldn't help but eavesdrop on Megumi still talking to Kira.

"No, no, he must be on the staff. That t-shirt he was wearing? It says on the bands website that it hasn't been sold in stores yet because they usually don't until after the concert. Besides, I've worked out that it can't be Aoi no matter how alike they look because the band should have been practicing at the Dome all day!"

Megumi rattled all of this off while facing Kira but looking thoughtfully in another direction and tangling a curl of hair around her finger again. Ai smiled to herself at what Megumi said, until Kira had her say.

"No way, he just said he was going to _see_ the concert! If he were on the staff then why would he ask for directions to the venue? It's the staffs job to know these things!"

Kira said with exasperation, stamping her foot to make a point. Ai's head tilted slightly as she was reading – they obviously hadn't worked it out yet. It really wasn't hard to recognise people even if they wear big sunglasses and pull their jacket collar up to attempt at hiding their face. When you think about it, doing that is a dead give-away. Megumi and Kira were sick of debating with each other so they turned on Ai.

"Hey, what do you think? Staff or concert goer?"

Kira asked her, leaning on the edge of the checkout desk while Megumi stood moodily beside her with arms crossed tightly. Ai laughed as she flipped another page, turning onto another interview from another band. Kira and Megumi simply stared at her, wondering why she was laughing.

"He's not on the staff and he's not going to _see_ the concert at all. I'm surprised you haven't noticed who he is by now … especially you, Meg".

"Well then how did he get that shirt if he isn't part of the organization crew?"

Megumi asked defiantly, already over the fact she thought he was Aoi. Kira looked from Megumi to Ai, waiting for her answer and expecting a stupid one. Ai sighed calmly, still not looking up from reading.

"That was Aoi from the GazettE".

Megumi just looked at her and Kira's hands almost slipped where they were on the desk. Megumi was in shock as Ai kept reading – how could she be so calm when Aoi had been right there talking to them? And all along Megumi could have taken a photo to show Mika and Kikyo what they had missed! Kira was lightly scratching the edge of her nose, also unable to understand how calm Ai was. Finally Megumi lost it.

"And we just let him walk out like that?! Damn it, Ai! I knew I should have taken a photo! Now we'll probably never get that kind of chance again!"

Megumi then stormed off in a huff and she went to clock-off seeing it was now five o'clock, and also to find her bags so she was ready to leave when Kira was done standing around like a statue from shock. But Kira was quickly over the surprise and stayed to help Ai pack up the register, which only involved locking the register and cleaning the general area. Then while Kira went out the front to get the car started and ready, Ai also headed out to the back storage room to clock-off as well, where Megumi was already waiting with their bags. Finally they both came out and went straight back to the front of the store, passing two girls who were scheduled to take over from them. Giving them a quick wave, the girls ran out to Kira's big SUV, where it sat in the tiny four-space car park of the store.

Kira's car had been imported from America thanks to her parents, who seemed to live between Japan and America respectively. Her parents own a chain of Japanese Restaurants in America so they were pretty much in good money, and they also had a couple of restaurants in Tokyo. Kira was like the head of the house, even though it was only her there – her twin older brothers had moved out a couple of years ago – so her house was almost always the ideal place for girl catch-up on weekends. Ai was the first one to climb into the front passenger seat, which meant Megumi was in the back row. Ai laughed at poor Megumi, seeing she was a bit shorter than Ai, she was having a bit of trouble getting into the back because it was higher up. When she was finally safely in her seat, Kira drove off. Then Ai laughed.

"Now here's a funny thought. When Aoi came into our store to ask for directions, it would have been cool if he asked us back stage after the concert. Oh no wait, I forgot … he thought we didn't know who he was … oh well, never mind what I just said".

Kira giggled at how crest-fallen Ai sounded after realising that wouldn't have worked. Then Megumi spoke.

"Hey I wonder how Kikyo and Mika are doing, braving the crowd? When I was talking to Mika before, it sounded really busy, Kira, you should have heard it. I could barely hear her, but she promised to buy us some stuff from the merchandise tables".

Kira quickly looked over her shoulder to smile before turning back to the road.

"Great! I'm sure they're fine though. Despite there being so many fans, the organisers always manage to control the crowd. I'm just more concerned about trying to find them, if it's as busy as you say it is. Oh, we'll be there soon, I can see the turn-off just ahead. Can you guys keep an eye out for the car-park entrance? Cross your fingers we can get a spot close enough …"

* * *

Meanwhile Kikyo and Mika were standing in line out the front of the Dome waiting for their friends. Kikyo was dressed in tight blue jeans, her 'Nameless Liberty' t-shirt, numerous bracelets, black slip on shoes and brunette hair curled into loose waves. Mika on the other hand opted for a large white hoodie and her own 'Nameless Liberty' t-shirt, black schoolgirl skirt, black thigh-high stockings and white tennis shoes. Finishing with putting her long, black, razored, red-streaked hair into frizzy pigtails, she looked comfortable but cute. Both of them held several items bought from the merchandise tables, which had sold out very quickly – lucky for them they were able to buy certain items before they disappeared. The items they'd bought ranged from signed posters, photo sets of each member, necklace and bracelet sets, and special bags with 'the GazettE' printed across the front to hold everything in. In the massive crowd of lines of people waiting, there suddenly came a wave of rapidly rising voices, and Kikyo and Mika people around them for looking to the left towards the main road. When they too looked in the same direction, Mika gasped and pointed.

"Oh Kikyo! Look, look, look, they're here! I just saw a black van driving past and around to the side of the Dome! Damn I should have brought my camera!"

Kikyo grinned at Mika with a look of mischief.

"Well … you know what we've gotta do, ne?"

No sooner had she said this but the crowd of fans seemed to disregard their places in line and began to run full pelt towards the place where the van had driven. Kikyo grabbed Mika by the wrist and they both ran together, dodging slower runners and tailing the faster runners – they were determined to get closer to the van. With barriers set up around the perimeter of the Dome, the side footpath leading to the back of the Dome gradually turned into a bottleneck. Soon only seven people, shoulder-to-shoulder and squashed together, could walk along that footpath at a time as they made their way to the side door to which the band was to enter the building. Kikyo and Mika were in the third row of seven fans while the others in front were screaming the guy's names and reaching out to them.

"My gosh, I've never seen this happen before!"

Kikyo gasped, referring to the stampede of fans running to catch a glimpse of their favourite member first. Mika was too busy staring at the black van as it stood mere feet away, parked by the edge of the footpath, a single barrier leading from the unopened side door of the van to the secluded entrance of the building. A lone staff member in a baseball cap and staff t-shirt was standing by the van ready to open the door and to guide them back inside. Kikyo and Mika hoped that Ai, Kira and Megumi would show up soon, but with the sudden behaviour of the crowd, Kikyo and Mika hoped that the others would stay back until it settled down again.

"Wow, are we at the right place? If this venue is smaller than Budoukan, then how come the crowd is so big? And this is the first time I've seen a stampede of our fans coming to great us".

Reita said out of shock, his mouth hanging open a little in awe at the sight of the packed footpath some feet away from them. The other guys shifted in their seats and angled their heads to try and get a better view out of the dark tinted windows; Aoi and Ruki had rolled up their windows a while ago just in case. The driver stayed sitting behind the wheel, waiting to be told where to go from here. Outside the van, the staff member pressed a finger to his ear-piece and gripped the handle of the door – no sooner had this happened but the fans closest to this spot screamed excitedly, expecting any second to see the band emerge. Back inside the van, Uruha laughed when he saw a girl holding up a little sign.

"Hey, look at that Aoi. That girl wants to marry you! I don't think we've ever seen any of our fans hold up signs like that before, you should feel special!"

"You know what, I'm going to ignore you for that. But I will say one thing … the next time someone teases you about your thighs, I'm not going to defend you".

Aoi said flatly, pushing the sunglasses further up his nose and looking straight at Aoi, with poor Kai stuck in between them. But just to show he was only joking around, Aoi gave Uruha a playful shove, also having to reach around Kai to do it. Just then the sound of the cheers seemed to get louder and Aoi turned to see that the door had been opened a tiny bit, ready to let them get out.

"Oh, it's about time! How much longer were they going to keep us in here? Is this a punishment for being back late or something?"

Aoi said, first looking out of the window and then back at his band mates – they just simply looked at him; they figured he knew what they were thinking. Aoi waved a hand at them as if to say '_yeah, yeah, I know it was my fault_' before the door was fully pulled open and the official bent down to look into the van. Behind him another four staff members had come out of the building to guard the barriers just in case any fans tried to jump over. The screams were deafening and the man had to raise his voice just to bed heard.

"We were wondering when you'd get back. Please follow me, I will lead you straight through to the change rooms. You've still got plenty of time to change and make-up; it's only a quarter past five. Everything on stage was finalised while you were out".

Kai leaned forward to speak to the man.

"We're sorry to be so late, but we got lost trying to find our way back. There was a traffic accident on the main road further down, but Aoi insisted he knew how to get us back. In the end we had to stop at a local store for directions, but next time we'll just call our manager".

The official just laughed and shook his head as Ruki now spoke up.

"Well we're here now so can we get out of this van and get changed already?"

He sounded cranky again as he shoved the notepad, still in his hand, into his shoulder bag. The guys quickly organised their things, Kai put his laptop back in his bag and Reita pocketed his iPod while Uruha and Aoi shouldered their own bags. After the staff member stepped back, Kai took a deep breath and stepped out of the van first, followed closely by Uruha. Aoi got out next; Reita followed him, but not before deliberately zipping up his jacket so it actually covered his nose. Finally Ruki was the last to step out and the five guys huddled together beside the van with the official standing in front of them. Mika and Kikyo were watching as the guys all filed one at a time from the van, trying to see through the numerous heads of the fans in front of them. The screaming and random calls of the guy's names never stopped.

The closest row of girls reached as far as they could past the line of staff members beside the barriers, desperate the touch any part of their favourite member. Kikyo was doing her fair share of screaming too, while poor Mika had to jump up and down to try and get a better view … she wasn't a very tall girl at only 158 centimetres. After jumping so much Mika was beginning to get tired, but she just wanted to keep looking at Ruki a little bit longer before he was swept away. She didn't know why the band were standing so long outside talking closely with that official but Mika was too mesmerised by the way Ruki's dread-locks bounced as he talked. Finally the official stood away from them and gestured with his hand for them to go inside before him. The shouts from fans became more aggressive when they noticed the band would be leaving to get ready.

Mika and Kikyo didn't know why but even though the fans were calling for each member, Ruki's name seemed to be heard the most frequently. One by one, the guys walked forward towards the side-entrance to the building, Kai first, then Uruha, Reita and Aoi behind him, with Ruki lagging behind a little. He was distracted by so many calls of his name, also wondering why … until he saw her – a tiny girl, cute frizzy pigtails, bright eyes and a sweet smile. He smiled discretely to himself, watching as she jumped up and down just to be able to see over the taller girls between him and her. He didn't know why but … something about her being made his heart jump. Then before he could realise what he was doing, Ruki snatched the purple lily flower from the breast pocket of his black jacket, and reached deep into the crowd. Passing the first two rows of fans, he pressed the flower into the out-stretched hands of the girl in his sights.

Hands grabbed at him from every direction, daring to pull him down into the crowd but four pairs of hands were holding onto him for dear life – the four staff members were trying to pull him back over the barrier. Mika held the lily so gently between cupped hands as she stared first at them and then at Ruki – she hadn't expected this but she liked it. As Ruki was now being pulled backwards, he pulled the sunglasses a little down his nose so he could visibly wink at her … but before Mika knew it, he was gone just like that. Seeing the band had left, the fans now turned their attention to Mika, who was staring once again at her cupped hands. She was too scared to open them just in case it fly away in the cold breeze, meanwhile Kikyo was excitedly shaking Mika's arm and saying how lucky she was.

"What just happened now? Ruki gave you his flower! How are you so lucky?! I've never been lucky to get something from a famous person, and now look at you!"

Kikyo ignored the icy glares of other fans and the whispered comments as the crowd now made it's way back along the side footpath to head back to their waiting lines. Mika on the other hand completely forgot where she was and just kept re-living that last moment over and over – _Ruki gave me his flower, and then he winked at me … his flower … he winked! _And then she smiled at Kikyo.

"Yeah … I don't know where my luck just came from! He winked at me! Did you see, did you see?"

Kikyo laughed at her friend, amused by how awe-struck she was by simply receiving this small gesture from the one person she'd never imagine getting anything from. She even had a little jump in a step as she walked. Of course it also wasn't everyday that anyone saw a flower on Ruki's person but maybe it was fate … whatever it was, Mika would be sitting on high for a long time yet. Kikyo and Mika made their way back to the lines of waiting fans … they weren't as close as before but that didn't matter to them. Kikyo kept her arm looped tightly around Mika's arm as she occasionally stood on tiptoes to look around … the three bags of GazettE merchandise on her other arm was starting to get heavy. Mika had the other two bags hanging in the crook of her opposite arm as she stared bright-eyed at the little purple lily sitting in her cupped hands.

All around her, on either side now, she could just hear hushed whispers between the fans closest to her, even though the loud chatter. They were saying things like, "_Why did she get the flower directly from Ruki-san?_" "_Do they know each other or something?_" "_She looks about twelve, there's no way Ruki-san would go for a girl like her_" "_Look how she's just staring at it_". But Mika ignored them … if she hadn't received the flower, someone else probably would have, and then that person would be the one being talked about. Suddenly Mika jumped when a hand grabbed her shoulder, and she instinctively cringed, expecting a slap from one of the fans. But in turning around timidly, she realised it was Kira and Megumi. Then several people back along the line, Ai was just approaching now, looking very puffed out. Kikyo now turned around and jumped in surprise.

"Hey, it's about time you three got here, you just missed something awesome!"

Kikyo said loud enough just to tease the crowd … but it only made Mika feel even smaller than she already was. Kikyo told them what they just missed while quickly distributed the merchandise bags around to Kira, Megumi and Ai. The three girls couldn't believe what they were hearing as they then took their place in line behind the other two. They half expected to hear people behind them complaining of cutting in but there was no time for that now – the line was starting to move forward and everywhere the fans were starting to laugh and talk excitedly. For so many fans turning up to see the band perform, the lines were moving very smoothly, and within half an hour the girls were through the front doors and standing in the middle of the entrance hall full of people. There was more merchandise tables lined up on the left and right sides of the hall for those who'd missed out on certain items outside. Ai turned to her friends.

"Come on, we should just go straight in and find our seats! Before the doors to the main hall get too crowded!"

Ai had to shout over the loud mass of voices and the others nodded to show they agreed. And then, with one holding onto the other so they formed a single line, Ai guided them through the swell of people towards one of the numerous double-doors leading to the main hall. Another two officials like the ones who stood at the front doors to check Fan-Club passes, were checking seat tickets and indicating where fans should go to find their places. Ai and Mika showed their tickets to one official, while Megumi, Kira and Kikyo showed theirs to the other – seeing they were all sitting in one line together would make it easy to find … the officials didn't even need to go into in-depth description of where they had to go. Finally the girls were let through and they couldn't help but stare around in awe at how familiar the inside was to Budoukan.

"I hope we're in the right building … I hope we're not supposed to be over the road!"

Kira said with a little laugh, glancing around at the rows and rows of seats, the single balcony above them and that very familiar stage just ahead. Kikyo and Megumi also laughed shortly, and Mika and Ai both looked around with mouths open; amazed. The five of them were actually present at the Tour Final for Nameless Liberty, but several rows back away from the stage and to the right of the floor … so the current setting for that nights live was strikingly similar. And with one small difference …

"Yataa! Front row seats! This just keeps getting better and better!"

Mika squealed excitedly, squeezing past Ai and Kira so she could run up the middle of the aisle, dodging people as she went until she skidded to a halt at the end railing that divided the stage and seating area. She jumped up and down and waved her arms, urging her friends to hurry up.

"Come on, hayaku! We should get settled before they turn the lights off!"

She then darted into the row, clumsily dropped her bags onto the floor and gripped the railing as she bounced from one foot to the other. The lily flower was stuck firmly between two fingers on her right hand because she didn't want to put it down. The other girls just laughed at her as they made their way towards the front row. Then Megumi smiled and shook her head.

"I don't think she realises it'll be another half hour or so before the concert even starts …"

"Yeah, the hall isn't even half full of people yet".

Kikyo added, glancing around over her shoulder once again. Through the doors leading back to the foyer she could still see it was packed with the bustling crowd, each fan scrambling to buy anything they might be missing. Kira checked her watch for the up tenth time since they arrived … but the more times she looked, the more she began to hallucinate that time was actually going backwards. She shut her eyes tight and shook her head briefly, willing herself to get a grip. And after finally working their way through the groups of fans standing in the aisle, the girls reached row one and walked in single file to join Mika. Megumi and Kira stepped over Mika's bags so they were on her right while Ai and Kikyo stayed on her left … Mika was in the middle because according to their allocated tickets, that's where she was currently standing.

"Oooooh, come on! I wish it would start!"

Mika whined, stamping her feet quickly before plopping down in her chair and drumming fingers on her knees, of course also being careful not to crush the flower. The others now put their bags down and again smiled to themselves before sitting down. The edge of the stage was only a few feet away from them so if any of the guys happened to wonder the stage they would get a good view of it. Kikyo now passed the time by fixing her hair in a little hand-mirror, scrunching handfuls of ringlets so they re-curled. Kira and Megumi were now busy discussing what songs they hoped the GazettE would play – Kira kept naming heavy and hyped songs while Megumi was happy with softer and mellower songs. Ai however was quietly telling Kikyo and Mika about who happened to visit the store earlier that afternoon.

"No way, are you kidding?! You just let him walk out, Ai?!"

Mika half choked while Ai shushed her loudly. Kikyo was so shocked that she just sat in silence, mouth wide open. Mika leaned a little past Kikyo to whisper to Ai.

"_Aoi_ of the GazettE? Came into your store and _talked_ to you? Your mad for not getting an autograph!"

Ai shrugged hopelessly and Kikyo poked her to say 'you idiot'.

"Well … I knew it was him of course, I guess I just didn't want to bother him. After all they're performing tonight and he needed directions because they were lost apparently".

It was at the moment that Megumi and Kira joined in the conversation when they'd overheard Ai talking about Aoi. Megumi was the first to speak.

"I thought she should have got an autograph too when Ai said who he was after he left. Kira and I really had no idea it was him, yet the whole time I thought he just _looked_ like Aoi".

"Yeah, and Megumi wanted to take a photo of him on her cell-phone, but Ai told her not to. So from now on Meg, if you see someone who looks famously familiar, just take a photo. It may even be the real thing".

Kira poked Megumi gently in the shoulder to make sure she was heard, and she laughed with a little nod – that was definitely a must do. Mika and Kikyo just looked at each in surprise – Ai, Megumi and Kira had been that close to one of the GazettE and yet neither of them had gotten so much as an autograph or photo. A once in a lifetime opportunity and they'd probably never get it again … but at least they'd been able to casually chat with Aoi; it doesn't happen everyday. Although after telling the story to them, Ai was now feeling stupid for not at least letting Megumi take a photo. At least being able to see the concert that night might fill the void a little … and inside their tote bags, each had a rolled up poster with personal signatures from each member, so it wasn't all bad. Ai sighed disheartened and looked over her shoulder – the hall was filling up now.

* * *

Meanwhile backstage in the dressing room, the guys were just finishing up changing for their big performance. After quickly being ushered inside from their van, a few staff members had led the band through a series of hallways which eventually brought them to a door labelled 'Make-Up'. The staff member at the head of the group pushed the door open and the group walked into a room packed with make-up, outfits and people. Brightly lit mirrors lined the far wall, a clothes rack off to the right held their costumes for that night, which happened to be from their 'Regret' video. A large square table in the centre of the room had several make-up and hair-styling cases over it, while two girls were busily running around to each one to find what they were looking for. Four guys wearing the 'One Night Stand' shirts were hurriedly discussing final stage details among themselves while two others were quickly going over the set-list. Once everyone noticed the band walk in, the lead staff member now spoke up.

"Yosh! Lets get a move on! I need everyone the four of you to go up to the side-stage and do a last minute check that things are ready".

He gestured to the four guys in the corner, who nodded and then left to do what they had to do. At the same time, each of the guys were now taking their outfits into a change-room just off to the left of the mirrors. The staff member now looked at the set-list people.

"If the set-list is finished, I need the sheets posted up along this hall now. If we're going to be on the same page as them, then we need to know what's coming!"

He gestured with his thumb in the direction of the change-room, _them_ indicating the band. The set-list guys only nodded once before running out the door just in case they were yelled at again. Once they were gone, he now approached the table to lean on it to talk to the make-up girls.

"Alright, we're not too far behind, but we're still behind a bit. I'm not pushing you because you're the ones who make them look good, but I need you to work as fast as possible. One of you could start with make-up, and then when you move onto the next guy, the other could do hair styling. So that way you've got a production line happening".

"Oh so we're a _production_ line now?"

Came Aoi's raised voice from the change-rooms. The staff member and make-up girls laughed, before they agreed to work quickly in the way he described, which worked for them because it seemed logical. So, being happy with finally organising things, he nodded with a smile and walked calmly out into the hall to report back to the bands manager. Within a few minutes, five smartly dressed men came back from changing and Reita was the first to have his face done. Firstly tying and positioning his notorious noseband, Reita settling in front of one mirror to allow the girl to start. Reita then glanced at Ruki's reflection; he was sitting just behind him against the wall.

"Hey, who was that girl you stopped for back outside? When we turned around to make sure you were with us, you'd vanished. Did you know her or something? How come you've never mentioned her before?"

Aoi, Kai and Uruha looked from Reita to Ruki – they were also curious why he'd stopped.

"Don't be stupid. No reason I stopped, I just gave her the flower from my jacket. I don't know her, I simply felt like doing it. Funny thing is, I don't know why I did it".

Ruki rested an elbow on his knee and cradling his head in that hand while absentmindedly staring at the floor in front of him. Aoi, Kai and Uruha looked at each other blankly – what had gotten into him all of a sudden? One second he's grumpy, and then the next he's just randomly giving out jacket flowers to fans. Reita lifted himself out of his chair to move into the next so his hair could be done, which meant Ruki was next for make-up.

"That was pretty risky what you did. If you weren't careful the crowd could have dragged you done".

Uruha said caringly, crossing his arms and sitting on the edge of the large table. Aoi nodded.

"Yeah … that's probably why they keep moving the audience further and further from the stage, so they don't try and jump up onto it. It was overwhelming just how close the fans were to us outside a moment ago".

Kai and Reita laughed at them as Ruki now moved over to let Uruha have his make-up done. Yes it had been unreal because it wasn't very often that fans were allowed that close to them anymore … it seemed that the more successful they became, the further the fans were pulled away from them. In fact a number of times Ruki had the urge to jump off the stage and into the crowd just to be closer to those who loved the band so much. But the others would always caution him to think of the staff that would have to flank him on all sides just in case he was dragged headfirst into a circle of screaming girls … much like what almost happened only a short time ago. But aside from that they couldn't wait to just get up on stage and perform, one last Fan-Club live before the next Tour – it was going to be an incredible night.

* * *

**NOTES:**  
1) Directions to the venue: I highly doubt the Gazeboys would get lost on the way to a venue, because they are driven around by someone anyway  
2) The set-list: The guys organise their set-lists as a group but because they were late, they haven't been distributed yet heh  
3) 'Production Line': I wouldn't think make-up and hair is done like this but they're on a tight schedule heh

Please read & review :)


	3. Chapter 03

**WARNINGS:** -none-

* * *

It was now on a quarter past seven, and the whole concert hall was now completely full with excited, chattering and giggling girls … of course with a hand-full of guys as well, but they were hard to spot. The stage wasn't highlighted by spotlights but just loomed in front of the audience, ready and waiting for the GazettE. The single balcony circling around the outside of the hall was packed and the first row of fans was almost hanging over the edge to get a better view of the stage. Just behind Ai, Kikyo, Mika, Megumi and Kira were a few girls comparing merchandise and also complimenting each other on their costumes. Megumi and Kira made discrete glances behind to see the costumes – one girl with long jet-black hair was wearing a pink and white Lolita dress with frilly bonnet, and presumably her friend, was wearing Uruha's 'Zetsu' video outfit. Even the hair was the same. Suddenly Mika let out a loud gasp.

"Oh no! Oh no, what should I do?!"

Mika said out of panic and her friends turned to look at her, wondering what was wrong. Even the girls behind them looked at their group curiously, having been startled by Mika's gasp.

"What, what, what? What's the matter?"

Kikyo asked quickly, gripping Mika's arm firmly while the others leaned in to listen.

"Where am I going to put Ruki's flower when I'm dancing? I don't want to squash it!"

Kikyo couldn't help squeezing Mika's arm out of annoyance for what she said – Ai, Megumi and Kira also made frustrated sounds. They wanted to hit her because they thought it had been something important … or rather, more important than that. Kikyo dropped her hand from Mika's arm and she, along with Megumi and Kira, turned back to watch the stage. Ai was thinking as she looked at the flower still stuck between Mika's fingers, before bending down to grab Kikyo's handbag from under her seat. While ignoring the loud 'Hey!' from Kikyo, Ai rummaged through it to try and find what she was looking for. People around them were again looking weirdly at them. Ai then pulled a hair-clip from the bag before putting it back under the seat, and Kikyo said a short 'oh' when she realised what Ai wanted.

"Mika, lean over this way, I'll clip the flower into your hair".

Ai gestured with the hair-clip and Kikyo leaned backwards as Mika did what she was told. Kira giggled, first speaking with sarcasm and then a serious tone.

"Oh yes, we simply must fix this little dilemma! Ai, you'd better hurry, the concert will probably start soon".

Ai took the flower from Mika, who couldn't help but pout even though she was going to get it back – Kikyo just rolled her eyes at how silly she was being. Ai wedged the short stem into the loop of the clip and then reached up to slide it into Mika's hair, just next to one of her pigtails so it was still visible. Ai then sat up straight and smiled, thereby showing she was finished. Megumi made an 'aww' sound.

"Wow that looks really cute! If only Ruki could see you wearing it! It's so lucky you got this from him …"

Megumi and Kira took out their cell-phones to take a photo of Ai's handy work, and Mika smiled sweetly, also angling her head so the flower was fully visible. The way Ai had woven the hair-clip into the tie of one of Mika's pigtails would make sure that it didn't move for the rest of the night until it was taken out. So no matter how much she jumped around it wouldn't come loose. Mika seemed a lot happier now as she turned back to the stage and bounced lightly on her toes. Kikyo just giggled at her.

"You are such a big kid sometimes, Mika. I'm almost embarrassed to be seen with you".

She joked and Mika looked at her in shock, until Kikyo through her arms around her neck to squeeze her tight.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding! Your our big kid".

The other girls laughed as Kikyo hugged the poor girl so tightly that she was waving her arms about to try and keep her balance; she was wobbling onto one foot. Kikyo was almost two inches taller than her and a bit stronger, so Mika just couldn't escape the tight cuddle. Megumi and Kira were hanging off each other as they laughed at the spectacle, while Ai was covering her mouth and trying not to laugh too hard. All of them could tell they were being stared at but they were already feeling hyped up for the concert, so they didn't care. However Mika was staring to have trouble breathing and she poked Kikyo's arms.

"Hey … Kikyo? … your choking me!"

She exclaimed in a raspy voice. Ai laughed shortly.

"Uh Kikyo, I think you should stop, she's turning bright red now. We don't want her to pass out! The concert hasn't even started yet, you don't want to carry her out of here, do you?"

Kikyo made an 'Oh!' sound before quickly letting Mika go and continuously saying apologies. Mika kept saying she was fine and placed a hand over Kikyo's mouth to shut her up. Ai, Megumi and Kira just shook their heads and smiled – those two were getting just a little over excited for no reason, and they knew it was because of the concert. It was now dangerously close to half past seven and any minute now it would begin; even the fans behind them were sounding fidgety, saying they wished it would start soon. Suddenly the lights were cut out completely and the girls instinctively pressed themselves to the railing, hearts pounding rapidly against their ribs. The crowd had erupted into screams and nothing had happened yet, until … a strange sound began to rumble from the loud speakers. The crowd gradually turned quiet as they listened.

"What … is that sound?"

Kira asked, cupping her hands behind her ears to try and discern the beating noise.

"I think it sounds like … a heart-beat?"

Megumi suggested, frowning as she stared into complete darkness in front of her. The sound was in fact a heartbeat; slowly working up to a faster beat until it came to a steady rhythm, and now 'The End' started playing over the heartbeat sound. 'The End' seemed to fade out the beating sound until only the song was playing. It made the whole audience scream louder before they began to clap and shout along to the beat of the song; Ai, Kikyo, Mika, Megumi and Kira were already one step ahead of them with clapping. It had been a strange idea to start off with a heartbeat and then 'The End' but it had certainly added suspense to the atmosphere. Then about half way through the song, it seemed to fade out again to be replaced by inconsistent heavy breathing – one was male and the other was definitely female. Mika felt her face growing hot.

"Um … you don't think that's Ruki, do you?"

Mika whispered to Kikyo as she felt the pang of jealousy. Kikyo giggled at her even though she couldn't see.

"Are you jealous Mika?"

"No! I was just wondering …"

Mika puffed her cheeks out and briefly touched the lily in her hair – _I'm not jealous_, she thought. So what if it was Ruki? It was only a recording. It most likely has something to do with the name of the show 'One Night Stand'. And it probably isn't him anyway, but an actor. And even if it was him, the girl couldn't be his girlfriend, right? Because there hadn't been any news about it … _right_? There came that jealousy pang in her chest again as now the breathing died away and was replaced again by 'The End', which seemed to have started from the beginning. This gave the girls the impression that the staff was buying time for the band – they were probably still getting ready after returning to the venue at the last minute. But they were willing to wait all night if that's what it took to see them perform.

--

Right at that very moment, five smartly dressed guys were being lead by a stage technician through a long wide hallway lined with crates, rigging, lights, bags, and whatever else the crew had dragged along with them to the concert. Numerous other staff were chanting 'Gambate!' as they passed, until they came to a black-painted double-door – a white sign reading 'Right Side Stage' was stuck to it. The technician pushed one side of the door open and stepped back to allow the band to enter one by one, where they now came face-to-face with a thick, black curtain. Judging by the screaming, chanting, clapping and music playing, they were now standing dangerously close off-stage but cleverly hidden by the curtain. The lighting in their immediate surroundings was very dim but they could still see. While the guys waited, they could clearly hear how loud it was on the floor already … the place was obviously full. More Fan-Club members had turned up than they thought.

Ruki was standing in front of the group, staring at the curtain with arms crossed and just mentally psyching himself up for what he was about to face. Aoi was just behind his left shoulder, staring at the floor and tapping a hand to his thigh in time with the beat of 'The End'. Uruha was fidgeting quite badly on Ruki's right as he would tap his toes randomly, then shake his arms at his sides, then link his fingers and stretch his arms above his head. Ruki was getting so annoyed that he was on the verge of backhanding him in the stomach, until Reita gripped Uruha's shoulders from behind and stook him gently. Reita could tell how anxious Uruha was to get out there; he was too, but he seemed to be the calmest person there … because Kai was also fidgeting a little on Reita's left. Then the technician who was standing beside them pressed a finger to his earpiece.

"Hai … the GazettE on standby. Everything is ready. 'The End' now on long play".

The guys knew what he meant by 'The End' on long play – it of course meant they were playing the song as a longer version so they were given time to take their positions. It had also been recycled from their Nameless Liberty Finale concert – that was how they came to realise why it was playing for so long. The technician paused as he listened again to his earpiece and then smiled at the group.

"Okay, we're ready to go. Make it a good one, guys … we'll see you all at the after party".

Each of the guys nodded a thankyou to the man as he left via the door they'd come through, bathing them all in the light from the hall before being plunged into mild darkness again. They were looking forward to the after party – it had been a while since they had an after party from a gig … or maybe it was just the excuse they needed to have a few well-earned drinks. Reita clapped his hands and the others turned to face him.

"Ah I can't wait to get this concert under way. With the trouble we had getting back here, I'm itching to get out there".

He rubbed his hands together vigorously and Aoi waved a hand at him.

"Is this your idea of making me feel bad again? Don't even try it, I'm antsy enough without having a smoke".

"So are we!"

Ruki and Uruha chorused in a cranky tone, then Kai laughed as he held his hands up.

"Now, now, we're about to go on stage. Save the fights for later, ne?"

Kai then gestured for them all to bend down and form their chant circle, something they just couldn't leave out before a live. He gave each of them a last-minute pep talk, encouraging energy and style like they always had, and they shouted together as a group before splitting once more. After this long, 'The End' was still playing and even now the fans didn't once stop clapping and chanting – it was then the guys knew it was time. Ruki, still being closest to the curtain, pulled it aside gingerly, only to find that the stage was darker than the curtain. However, five thin-beamed spotlights were streaming down from above to highlight five places – Kai's drums, Reita's bass, Aoi and Uruha's guitars and Ruki's microphone stand. Taking a deep breath, Ruki stepped out from behind the curtain, closely followed by Aoi, Kai, Reita and then Uruha.

They had to really trust that there wasn't anything to trip over on that stage, because the only thing they had to go by when taking their positions were those thin spotlights. Aoi reached his guitar first, but as was planned, stayed out of the beam of light while he took up his guitar. Reita got his bass next and did the same as Aoi. Kai however had done a sneaky and gone in behind the walls that hugged the platform his drums sat on, so he was hidden until he came to site in his stool … the spotlight was hovering just in front of his drum-set. Uruha was last to reach his guitar, where he picked it up and stepped away from the beam – any close and he would have been seen. In fact it was a wonder the fans hadn't seen them through the beams yet, but most likely because the light wasn't wide or bright enough. They were still chanting and clapping.

Ruki was crouching behind his platform, away from the beam, but taking one last look at the set-list. With the trouble they'd gone through to get back from having lunch, he'd forgotten some of the songs, so just a quick skim down the black and fluorescent gold page brought back his memory. He began to read them out so quickly that anyone else would think he was walking gibberish.

"Eto … Filth, Crucify, Regret, Worthless, Shadow, Bathroom, Cassis, Baretta, Cockroach, Silly God, Reila, Carry, Maximum, Saraba, Anti Pop, Hanakotoba, Anata no Tame, Discharge … Encore – Linda, Ray, Best Friends … it's going to be an interesting night. Half of this we hardly play anymore …"

--

As 'The End' was now finally coming to a finish, the five thin spotlights that highlighted the bands places slowly faded out and the stage was dark once again. The crowd screamed a bit louder. The clapping and chanting had now stopped during the last few seconds of the song but there was still no movement from the stage. The girls looked around themselves curiously, just in case the band was actually walking up the middle of the aisle, but it was pointless to look because there was no light. The concert must have started because they'd started by playing 'The End' … so where was the band they were waiting for? The atmosphere was so full of suspense that a few rows back from the front row where the girls were, another fan sounded like she was crying, saying something about 'Where are they?!' but the crowd stayed quiet. And then a mumbled voice came over the speakers … it was Ruki's voice. He was speaking slowly and quietly even though the speakers amplified it more.

"One Night Stand … a brief encounter … promiscuous …"

The whole audience burst into screams, those close by the girls could be heard calling each of the guy's names. Ai, Kikyo, Megumi and Kira couldn't help themselves – they were doing the same; Ai called for Aoi, Kikyo for Uruha, Megumi for Kai and Kira for Reita. But Mika couldn't call out Ruki's name – she'd lost her voice all of a sudden and her face felt so hot it might have been on fire. His voice and what he was saying sent chills down her spine. He now continued from the short pause he made.

"Shameless lust … boundless sexual desire … Beautiful Filth".

It was that last word that made the hall turn wild. Suddenly background music for 'Filth in the Beauty' began playing and random flashes of coloured light-beams rained down on different spots of the stage. Some were now falling upon the band and the fans spirits were instantly lifted at finally being able to see them. Kai was perched up on his drums and twirling one of his drumsticks between two fingers, grinning like mad as usual. Reita, with bass in hand, was bopping his head along to the background music, clearly having fun already. Aoi was staring out at the audience with one arm raised to the cheering crowd, guitar at the ready. Uruha was also ready with his guitar but he couldn't stay still; he was dancing around to the opening music. Ruki had both hands gripping the top of the mic stand, head bowed just in between his arms, waiting for the big entrance.

Ai, Kikyo, Mika, Megumi and Kira couldn't contain their excitement as they screamed and reached as far over the railed as possible. If it weren't for that extra few feet, they'd be able to touch the edge of the stage – heartbeats were racing at knowing just how close they were to those five amazing men up there. Despite the roar around them, none of the girls seemed to notice anything else but what was right there in front of them. Ai was mesmerised by Aoi's smile as she watched him urging the fans to scream louder. Kira just laughed at how dorky Reita looked, bobbing around beside Kai's platform. Megumi was also taken in by Kai's smile as he was now tapping away on the cymbals for the opening of the song. Kikyo couldn't look away from Uruha's dancing – in that pure white outfit it was hard not to be drawn to him. And as usual Mika was all eyes for Ruki … and those incredibly hypnotic dreadlocks she loved. Once again she was brought back to her brief encounter with him only a short time ago and an adoring smile spread across her face.

Through the whole song, the crowd didn't once quiet down – during verses waved their arms in circular motions; during choruses it was one big mosh-pit. Ruki naturally joined them by jumping too, one foot up on his platform. The girls couldn't help but laugh and jump around silly when it came to the choruses – from the very first time they heard 'Filth in the Beauty', they all thought it was an amazing song. Ai had proven that by listening to it non-stop since it's release. After feeling initially awkward at reading Ruki's lyrics, the song grew on them quickly; the music was very unique but hearing it live was even better. The guys didn't move much around the stage for the first song but it was a great starter for the concert; it got the fans going. As the song was now coming to an end, on the last few drum beats the crowd made one last big jump and came thundering back down before a wave of 'Rock On' hand gestures filled the hall. They were desperate to hear more.

Now that the stage was fully lit up, the fans could get a better look at the surroundings. Hanging up along the back wall behind Kai was a huge banner made just for this live – there was wonder about what would be done with it after that night. It had 'One Night Stand' scrawled across it in what looked like scribbled handwriting … and considering the size of the banner that was very big handwriting. The background picture behind the writing was of a women's unclothed back from the waist up and a pair of large masculine hands had reached around her from the front to grip at her back. The man was completely hidden by the women. It was a very suggestive image but it fit the title nicely. Ai, Kikyo, Mika, Megumi and Kira felt a bit embarrassed by the image on the banner but quickly dismissed it to keep watching and waiting for the next song.

--

The band didn't waste time moving on. Ruki gripped the microphone and yanked it off the stand before he jumped up onto his platform. As he raised his arms out to the side, the crowd screamed louder again and realised it was now time for the next song. Both Aoi and Uruha were now positioned behind their acoustic guitars, and after Kai tapped the cymbals to count them in, they began with the opening to Crucify Sorrow. During the acoustic opening Kikyo was marvelling at how cool it sounded. She was learning how to play guitar and she always tried to play acoustic sections of some of the GazettE songs – though her friends would sometimes tease her that she was just trying to learn Uruha's pieces. But she also practiced Aoi's solos as well, especially Cassis because his solo opening sounds so beautiful.

After the opening the crowd began to jump along to the beat. When it came to Ruki singing the 'Kankaku was yume wo fuyuu shiteru do' and 'Soshite hai ni iki tsuku no' lines, some fans swung their arms around the air in circular motions along to the beat. They did the same thing when he also sang 'So long me …'. Of course the girls knew all the right moves and joined in with the rest. Again, when it came to Aoi and Uruha doing their acoustic pieces with 'So long me' Kikyo had her eyes locked on their playing. _God I wish I could get pointers from them_, she kept thinking, biting her lip as her gaze now wandered up to Uruha's smiling face and she smiled brighter too. Kikyo knew how hard it was to play that fast and she admired them for being so good at it … because so far whenever she tried, it would always end up in a mess, but she kept trying anyway.

The girls couldn't help but laugh while watching the antics of each band member during the song; it was clear they were having too much fun already, and they were less than ten minutes into the show. While Ruki freely danced around the stage, his dreadlocks bounced wildly from side-to-side – they were quite long now, reaching down to below his shoulders when tied up. Reita had joined Ruki in dancing, although because he had a bass to strum, he couldn't jump around too erratically. However when Aoi and Uruha weren't playing their acoustics, they too swayed around, moving back and forth from back wall to stage edge … and each time they got close to the edge, fans screamed and reached out for them, so of course Ai and Kikyo did too. Megumi felt sorry for Kai because he couldn't move around but he had his own way of showing off for the crowd.

If it was one thing Kai knew how to do it was have fun even if he couldn't get up to do it. During the verses he was quite calm, continuing to smile brightly, sticking his tongue out from habit while playing – Megumi always thought it was cute, all the little habits he had whenever he was drumming. And then when it came to the choruses he just let go completely. His hair flew around his face with every movement and the girls agreed as one that if it were just Kai playing, he would still draw the crowd in with his energy. All too soon the second song was already finishing, and Ruki was aimlessly walked around in a big circle from one side of the stage to the other. While wiping the sweatband around his wrist across his forehead, he sighed deeply – second song and he was already raining sweat, but he wasn't about to stop now.

--

Barely ten minutes into the concert and already the GazettE had pumped out two great songs. The girls were really happy they played 'Filth in the Beauty' and 'Crucify Sorrow' first – both songs never failed to sound good live, and it really hyped up the crowd. During the short pause between songs, Ruki snatched his mic stand and shifted it over to stand beside Kai's platform – it was getting in the way and there wouldn't be time to move it during the next song. Aoi, Uruha and Reita stood silently in their places, watching and waiting for their esteemed singer to so something while Kai crossed his arms over the drum set between his knees, also watching as Ruki sauntered around the stage in front of him. Random screams, shouts and chants were echoing from all over the hall, each calling for a different member.

Ruki kept walking around in circles – seemed to be force of habit. He held up the mic to his mouth and just as he was going to speak, the fans clapped; it sounded like rain falling, it was echoing that much. But just to tease them Ruki dropped the mic again and just stood smirking at them, only earning more shouts. Finally he lifted the mic again, deciding that was enough taunting, saying 'Oh Yeah!' a few times, each getting just that little bit louder. Kai was laughing from his place, amused at how much Ruki was teasing them, as he now removed his short-sleeve jacket, revealing the sleeveless white shirt under it. Uruha, Reita and Aoi were also smiled faintly, grateful that they were given a bit of time to cool down beside their cooling fans, the breeze just able to reach their hair, causing it to want to fly away.

"Yeah Yoshiatsu!"

Ruki finally shouted louder as he came to stand directly behind his platform. This action not only startled his band mates a little but also encouraged the whole hall to cheer just as loud. Ruki laughed at them, turning his head down and with one hand on his hip – he suddenly felt embarrassed as he turned left and right to look at the other guys for some kind of help. Finally he lifted his head and spoke again.

"This is so weird … how many of you expected me to slip-up and say 'Budoukan'?"

He said as he nervously reached up to play with one of his dreadlocks. Half of the crowd seemed to laugh and clap while the other half screamed and jumped up and down. Aoi, Reita, Kai and Uruha laughed openly, not trying to hide it, as they got to see them teasing Ruki for once – who was now hands on hips and staring down at his shoes in defeat; he had that coming.

"That hurts, you have no faith in me! But we are the first event to happen here, so it is an honour. Arigatou …"

Ruki bowed his head briefly to thank the fans and they responded by clapping. Ruki got bored with standing as he now got up and crouched on his platform, elbows resting on his knees.

"But you know … on the way over here, we were discussing how the designers came to the conclusion on the name … '_Yoshiatsu_' …"

Ruki let the name of the building roll off his tongue slowly, frowning in thought while he talked to the audience. Again a few clapped in response but somewhere off to Ruki's right on the stage, a certain raven-haired guitarist was shifting on the spot uneasily. Uruha, Reita and Kai were looking in Aoi's direction as they realised what Ruki was about to do … only for fun but Aoi didn't see it that way. This was now payback for being late because of him. Ruki gestured over to him.

"And … I heard something funny from Aoi-san. I heard him say to Kai-san, 'Why didn't they just call it _Budoukan 2_?' …"

The audience could be heard laughing very clearly, and Aoi was now doubled over in pure embarrassment and despise for Ruki that he didn't want his face to be seen. Ai, Kikyo, Mika, Megumi and Kira were all holding onto each other as they laughed, but they did feel sorry for Aoi – it was obvious Ruki was singling him out in front of the whole hall. Ruki waved to urge the audience to quiet again, which they did quickly.

"But I'm not bringing this up to embarrass Aoi-san and make fun of his joke. I'm bringing this up because … we've heard that it roughly means 'the Point or Substance of Heat' … the very centre of passion".

Ruki balled his fist tightly and held it up to show strength.

"It's a strong name … and that is why we feel honoured to be blessing 'Yoshiatsu Dome' with its first ever event. I hope we can find your 'Centre of Passion' tonight. Let's go!"

Pointing out to the audience, they erupted instantly with clapping and cheers – such a moving speech for the start of the concert; it really moved them as well. The girls all smiled adoringly at how well he spoke to the fans, Mika more so because it was done by him – he really had a talent for working the crowd, either by singing or just talking; he knew how to capture people. But now it was time for some more music and Ruki then jumped down from his platform, waving a hand above his head to urge everyone to keep cheering louder. He spun around to get Kai's attention, signalling for the next song – Regret. Aoi, Uruha and Reita made themselves ready, waiting for their cue. Kai raised the drumsticks above his head and tapped them to the right beat of the song, as Aoi and Uruha then alternated from each other's guitar pieces for the opening.

After hearing two moderately heavy songs, it was good for the fans to hear 'Regret' because it sounded lighter and it was one song that you could easily dance to. During the choruses the audience was once again a sea of waving arms, side-to-side in wide swoops and then changing from that to smaller circled in the air. And then during verses reverted to just waving their hands in small circles in front of their bodies. It was a sight to see from where the guys were on stage – they loved seeing the harmony of every single movement; it looked like not one of them was out of time to the music. Aoi and Uruha even left their positions on verses so they could walk around the stage, alternating sides at their own leisure, stopping occasionally to play for the fans nearest to them. A cluster of girls went wild, reaching far over the railing even though they were several feet away.

With Uruha and Aoi swapping sides every-so-often, Kikyo and Ai were happy to get a close-up of their favourite, though Kira wished Reita could have come wandering over as well. But she didn't show her disappointment because it dissolved quickly from having too much fun. Mika really hadn't noticed that Ruki hadn't wandered either; she was too busy smiling and watching him as usual. And again Megumi couldn't help smiling when Kai did … he never failed to light up the room. As the song was now coming to an end, Ruki was dancing around the main stage while Reita again joined in with him, swaying here and there to the beat. It was also time for Aoi and Uruha to stop teasing the fans as they ran back to their places to finish the song properly. With Ruki finished singing, it was now up to the others to take it out.

A roar of cheers and screams yet again rang over the hall as it really started to reverberate on the walls, followed by echoing sound of clapping. Aoi and Uruha deliberately strummed a few more chords to make a bit more noise, while Reita added is own rumbling bass sound. Kai whacked at the crash cymbals and beat the bass drums rapidly a few times to follow the others and the hall was now a bubble of raw noise. The fans responded by clapping, screaming, stamping their feet, whatever noise they could make, just to join in with the band. Ruki was waving his hands at the audience, urging them to go louder and louder as the guys continued to make more noise. After realising enough was enough, Ruki raised one arm and Kai stopped drumming, only to hit the crash cymbals gentler so they echoed, and Aoi, Reita and Uruha stopped playing to let their sounds fade away.

* * *

**NOTES:**  
1) Recycled 'Nameless Liberty' stage: This is what the 'One Night Stand' stage looks like, but without the words painted across it  
2) 'Yoshiatsu': I looked at a very rough translation of 'Yoshi' and 'Atsu' (I suck at making up names, gomenne) and it basically means 'Yoshi - Point or Substance' and 'Atsu - Heat'. Which to me means 'the Centre of Passion', so I think that sounds okay

Please read & review :-)


	4. Chapter 04

**WARNINGS:** minimal coarse language

* * *

In between songs Ruki walked over to grab his water bottle from the foot of Kai's platform and he took a decent mouthful. He tipped his head back and fans were expecting for him to spit it out over himself, but he only swallowed it in one go. When he heard a loud 'aww' coming from the direction of the crowd, he turned around and laughed as he realised why they'd protested as he then wiped his mouth on the sweatband. Kai was subconsciously trying to role-up sleeves that weren't even there, as he slid his hands up his arms one at a time while waiting for Ruki to cue the next song. Aoi now removed the long, black, lace-like scarf from around his neck and while fans closest to him waved and reached out in hopes that they might get it, he only draped it around his mic stand, earning disappointed cries from the floor.

Ai smiled when she noticed Aoi had tied it into an odd looking bow around the top of the stand – she wished she could jump up there and grab it without being caught. Uruha was adjusting the white, satin sleeves he wore because they'd twisted around his arm a little after the last song – he was starting to think the 'Regret' costume was a bad idea to perform in … it was sweatier than usual and the feathers on his shoulders were starting to irritate. Last but not least Reita just stood quietly, swaying slowly from side-to-side again and gripping the fingerboard of his bass so no sound would come from it, the other hand placed casually on his hip. Kira loved how much of a 'guy' he was compared to the others. Kikyo sighed happily.

"It's been great so far, I love 'Regret'! What songs do you think they'll play next, Mika? I really hope they play 'BathRoom' or 'Linda' again, I love those songs!"

"Hmm I don't know … Maybe 'Cassis' or 'D.L.N'. Something a little less hyper and more romantic".

Kikyo poked Mika's side knowingly and Mika stuck her tongue back in response. Ai, Megumi and Kira laughed at the pare – for the first time since they arrived, they were distracted from watching the guys still right there in front of them … that wasn't normal.

"What, I'd just like to hear something romantic, geez! If they play too many hyped songs, we'll pass out before the concert is even half way!"

Suddenly the beginning of 'Worthless War' could be heard over the loud speakers, and Mika and Kikyo quickly looked back at the stage – they'd been so focused on their short chat that it was already time for the next song. Ai, Megumi and Kira also put their attention back to the stage, all of them leaning against the railing in anticipation. Well, 'Worthless War' wasn't exactly a romantic song like Mika wanted, or a lighter song like Kikyo wanted, but this one was still among their favourites. And this time, much to Kira and Mika's delight, instead of Aoi and Uruha being close to the edge of the stage, it was Reita and Ruki's turn to tease the fans. Although Reita was up the opposite end to the girls, Kira knew he'd come towards her eventually, but currently it was Mika who got to swoon over Ruki for a little while.

At the start of the song when it alternated from Ruki and the other guys singing, Kai was really having fun up the back with his drums. Aoi and Uruha now found it easier to dance around the stage while Reita and Ruki were off wandering along the edge – they could really get into head-banging too, much to Ai and Kikyo's amusement. Kira however was on the verge of sulking because Reita was so far away, but she loved watching him play to the fans just before him. Mika's mouth was agape while she watched Ruki jumping around only feet away from her – those dreadlocks were hypnotising her again. Megumi laughed and clapped to herself when she caught a glimpse of Kai twirling the drumsticks around his fingers every chance he got – she really wanted to know how they could do that.

It was after the first 'Worthless War continues' chorus that Ruki stopped dancing and pointed out over the crowd, attracting hyperactive cheers from the fan closest to him, which also included the girls, Mika especially. Then just as he was going to turn and head towards the far side of the stage, he just happened to look down and he saw … that girl from the side entrance. She was dancing with what looked like four other friends, two either side of her. It felt like only moments ago that he'd seen her outside, and now her she was again in the front row of all places … and the flower he'd given her was now weaved into her hair. Ruki caught her eye, and with a little smile, he pointed to the top of his head, hoping that she realised he'd noticed the purple lily. He then turned and ran back to join Reita on the middle platform. Mika's friends all turned to her.

"Mika, I think Ruki must have seen the flower in your hair and recognised you! He looked right at you!"

Megumi almost squealed, copying Ruki's gesture before grabbing her arm and shaking her excitedly.

"He did that and smiled at you, did you see it?!"

Even though Megumi was shaking her, Mika had gone into a state of shock – she was still staring at the place Ruki had just been standing, a strange dazed expression on her face, almost like she was dreaming. Yes, she had seen it … she could remember every single detail of what just happened – did he really remember her, or was he just communicating with random fans? Kira pulled on Megumi's arms to get her off Mika.

"I think she saw, Megumi. She was watching Ruki the whole time. Didn't you notice? She was almost drooling on the railing! If he got any closer to the stage edge, she would have fallen over it just to reach him".

Kira teased, which brought Mika out of her dreamy state to look at Kira and stick her tongue out before the five of them smiled back at the stage. The girls couldn't believe Mika's luck that night; two encounters with Ruki in the space of two hours was not going to wipe that big smile off her face with days now. The others were happy for her, but of course they couldn't help feeling just a little jealous – now the only thing left to really make her day would be to meet him in person. Just a few minutes with him would make her happy for the rest of her life … in fact, if all five of the girls got to meet the guys for just a few minutes, that would be even better. But they knew the band never actually had 'meet-and-greets' with fans so they knew it would never happen. As long as the band still performed, the concerts were enough.

--

Back to the stage, the guys were really feeling the energy from the audience – it was really rumbling through the whole hall. Not only the screaming and cheering, but also the vibrations in the floor from every single fan jumping and dancing; it was coming up through the stage and they could feel every pulse at their feet. For a slightly smaller venue than Budoukan, it sure felt a lot bigger. Ruki now placed one foot up on his platform and waved a hand over the screaming crowd. He put the mic to his mouth but paused for a moment. The fans went quiet as they expected him to speak but from the long pause he was making, some of them started calling out to him. Reita, who was standing just behind him, stepped forward and pushed Ruki's butt softly. The whole hall echoed with laughter as the singer sharply spun around to say something inaudible to the bassist – lucky it wasn't heard from the loud speakers because he'd just cursed at Reita.

"Hey, you can't rush speeches. Especially when you get a foot up your ass when you're trying to speak".

Ruki said to his mic while he was still looking at Reita. The audience laughed when the bassist shrugged his shoulders and looked like he hadn't done anything wrong. The girls, especially Kira, giggled at Reita's attitude – even on stage the whole group could act silly. Ruki shook his head and looked back to the crowd.

"Seems someone here just can't sit still. Anyway … it's been a little while since we've had a good live like this … we've only played four songs and it already feels like we've been going for hours".

The audience started clapping. Aoi grinned and clapped his hands over his head before directing the clapping to the audience. Uruha placed both hands on his left hip and swayed from side-to-side, a little satisfied smile on his face as he looked from the fans to Ruki. He felt like he'd been playing for hours too … it was just that over-whelming. Reita nodded and clapped a couple of times before crossing them tightly over his chest. Kai was leaning with his arms crossed over the drum between his knees again; drumsticks in his right hand were softly tapping the edge of it. He was smiling warmly when the fans clapped. But because Ruki was taking such a long pause again with the mic still to his lips, the guys laughed when some fans closest to the stage called out to him. Ruki lowered the mic, quickly wiped his mouth on the sweatband and then continued.

"It's really amazing … how it was just a Fan-Club only live tonight, yet it feels like every single one of our fans are here. Across the whole of Japan …"

He started to slowly wonder around the stage now while he talked. Mika was watching him like a hawk.

"And even though a lot of our fans couldn't be here tonight, a month from now will be our next Tour … we hope from the very depths within us that every one of you can see it … because then it would mean that we've reached the edge, and we'll be ready to go even further …"

The fans now clapped and cheered louder – the speech really moved them. Though most of the fans wished they could keep the band to themselves, they knew it would never happen … the bigger a band became, the further they had to go in the world. Soon, the GazettE would be too big for just Japan alone … next it would be Europe and beyond. But as long as they could still hear the GazettE's music, they would be fans forever. Ruki shouted 'Ikirukai' into the mic a few times, urging the fans to scream louder and louder each time before gestured for Reita to jump forward. As soon as he was up on Ruki's platform, Kai and Reita started the band off with the beginning to 'Shadow VI II I' and they were in full swing again. The girls cheers were drowned out by the eruption behind them – it was clear they'd been waiting to hear this song.

With Shadow VI II I, apart from waving their arms in time to the beat, the fans really didn't have any set hand gestures for the song this time. It was the perfect opportunity for the crowd to just dance, like one big party with a Live Band. The girls were having a lot of fun. Ruki's speech had left them all in a really good mood and they just danced while again holding each others hands, occasionally having them in the air. This was one of a few songs when Reita really got to show off on his solos, which Kira liked because he walked around the stage during the song and came to visit their side of the stage. Like partners in crime, each time Reita walked around, Ruki was right there dancing in circles as well, so of course Mika got to see him close-up again. Even Aoi and Uruha danced around each other, jumping here and there, and almost colliding once or twice much to the crowd's amusement.

Kai was getting more attention this time, as every so often Aoi and Uruha would pounce up onto Kai's platform to play their guitars for him. Kai's grinning and laughing couldn't be masked as he doubled his effort in playing; the attention he was getting from the others seemed to increase his enthusiasm. His face could barely be seen half the time because he was so into playing; thick, damp, strands of his hair were flying around his face so often that it was almost drowning him. After the final verse to the song, the hall turned into one big disco of sorts, the fans forgot about waving hands and danced along with the band. They were enjoying the up-beat tempo after the previous heavy songs, and knew that a slower song had to be coming up next. As the song was now finishing, Aoi and Uruha made one last shuddering screech with their guitar strings while every single fan around the hall tried to cheer over it.

--

Shadow VI II I … the perfect song to round off just shy of half an hour of a hyped up concert, and the fans agreed, seeing they could barely talk from screaming so much. The bands Live's were not always this full-on from the first second but Kai had obviously gotten the fans riled enough to keep them going for the rest of the night – he'd chosen the set-list well … especially from the next lot of songs they were about to perform. The girls had begun to suspect some kind of pattern too – the band would play a few up-beat tracks, and then calm the audience down with a few softer, non-dancey ones. Then just as the fans were starting to relax, the band would shock everyone out of their quiet stupor and back into madness. The girls always agreed that every set-list affected the audience in some way, especially during the 'Nameless Liberty' final.

It was agreed since then – the girls thought that concert had been the best and had the most energy out of all the final concerts they'd performed so far, but the band hadn't been able to break that record … not yet anyway. Maybe this nights live would surpass it, or perhaps the final for their next Tour? Whatever happened the guys always made a flashy entrance and a dynamic exit, so the fans were never denied anything from their favourite band. Suddenly the stage went dark and the fans made an 'ooooh' sound, like something had fascinated them – it had caught them by surprise that it took a moment for their eyes to adjust to the unexpected darkness. No one could see even a few inches in front, except a few tiny spots of light at random places on the stage – and even then, those tiny spots weren't giving off much light, so none of the band could be seen.

Then suddenly shades of green light rippled across the stage, like the image of water had been projected onto it; each of the guys could only be seen as dark shadows in the dim green light, standing frozen still in their places. The Dome was eerily quiet and not a single sound came from the floor or the stage … until the sound of faint female voices echoed from the speakers. They sang distantly for a few seconds before the sound of dripping taps could be heard. Mika and Kikyo gasped softly, but they quickly covered their mouths … even though they were soft gasps, it still sounded loud in the unnatural silence, half expecting to be told to shut-up. Even as the soft singing and dripping taps continued a little longer, it was obvious what song was about to be played, but not one person moved or spoke from being hypnotized by the sounds …

Soon an echo of violins and percussion could be heard mixing in with the dripping tap. Suddenly the stage lit up with bright light as the opening of 'BathRoom' began to play, Aoi and Uruha swaying to the music while Reita and Kai maintained the beat. Ruki was standing behind his platform, mic in hand, eyes closed, tapping his foot and bopping his head in time, taking a moment to pull himself together for a moving performance. Some fans were startled by the abrupt burst of light that they couldn't help shielding their eyes instinctively, though others weren't affected by it and just focused on the concert, not wanting to miss even one second. Ai, Kikyo and Mika couldn't avoid covering their eyes for a moment before looking determinedly back at the stage – Megumi and Kira weren't so much affected, just by simply squinting so they could adjust.

No sooner had the first verse starting, but Ruki was already slowly wandering towards the far edge of the stage away from the girls, where he stood and sang to fans just below him. Reita came to perch one foot on Ruki's platform, seeing the singer was currently not using it, and Aoi and Uruha swapped places just as the first chorus was about to be sung. Kai threw his head back, raised the drumsticks into the air above his head and brought them down hard on his drums, in time for Ruki to sing the chorus. The fans closest to Ruki reached out and waved to him frantically while he sang to them, and Mika – because she was always watching him – could have sworn that she saw one or two fans crying as they watched Ruki singing. It brought on that pang of jealousy again but she also couldn't help feeling emotional from seeing fans crying – either the song had some affect on them, or _he_ had some affect on them.

After he was done singing to the fans near him, Ruki left them and started to head towards the right side of the stage, continuing to sing the next verse. Mika swallowed hard and gripped the railing tightly – he was getting closer! Some fans behind the girls could be heard making anxious noises, like they couldn't believe he was coming over to sing to them now. Ai, Kikyo, Megumi and Kira all happened to turn and look at Mika – and sure enough she was only looking at him. They could have all been watching Aoi, Reita, Kai and Uruha but with Ruki standing mere feet in front of them, it was hard not to watch him standing there singing from his heart. And then just as he was going to sing the chorus again, he dropped down to his knees, dripping the mic tightly in both hands – minus Mika, the girls were starting to wonder it this was deliberate.

But Mika was oblivious … she could only hear and see Ruki singing … and was he looking directly at her or past her to another fan? Mika snapped out of her daze long enough to look left and right at her friends, who were sneaking glances from her to Ruki, clearly just as confused as she. When Mika once again looked straight at Ruki, his head seemed to tilt to one side ever so slightly, and gave her the tiniest hint of a wink … Mika's jaw dropped a little – he was communicating with her after all! That was the second time during the concert – what was going on? _Why would someone famous like him be trying to communicate with me when he only gave me this flower_? she thought, again slowly reaching up to touch the flower. Ruki angled his head a little more to acknowledging what she was doing, and Mika quickly lowered her hand, feeling her face growing hot.

Ruki didn't move for the rest of the song as he continued to sing to his Mystery Girl – though he did try to make it look like it was directed at all the fans in front of him, he couldn't help but look back at that girl a few more times. Every time he saw her, he struggled to look away. Finally realising the song had to finish some time, on the last chorus, he slowly got to his feet and began to walk back to his platform, putting all of his energy into finishing the song with passion. On the last words, he turned and slouched onto the platform, while Reita left to return to his place. Then once again the stage was plunged into total darkness just as the music ceased … no after notes played by Aoi or Uruha, no beat sounds from Kai or Reita … just silence. It took the audience a moment to realise it was over before they broke into clapping and cheering.

--

Even in the dark, Ai, Kikyo, Megumi and Kira were looking in Mika's direction though they could barely see her … and poor Mika was still staring up at the spot that Ruki had been kneeling despite the blackness. It was hard to explain or even understand, but she felt like he had in fact been singing to her – selfish thought, yes, but that's what she felt. But the lyrics of 'BathRoom' weren't exactly that of any kind of love song … more like a heart-breaking story of falling in love with someone in a dream. It actually made a lump rise in her throat … until she felt someone touch her shoulder. With her eyes adjusted to the dark, Mika turned to her left and noticed it was Ai touching her shoulder – she could tell her friends were worried about her. Mika patted Ai's hand softly to show she was all right, and Ai responded by briefly gripping her shoulder firmly.

But the last song was still playing on her mind, and the other's minds too. 'BathRoom' wouldn't be the kind of song a guy would sing to a girl to sweep her off her feet – and despite giving his jacket flower to her, Ruki didn't even know who Mika was … just the girl he noticed outside the Dome. Ai, Kikyo, Megumi and Kira wondered if he simply recognised the flower in her hair, therefore he picked her to sing to, so it could just be nothing. But it was bothering Mika that much, she was getting frustrated with thinking 'why me?' that she just suddenly growled to herself in the pitch-black hall, pulling at her teased pigtails. Mika had the feeling the fans surrounding her group were staring at them again. Her friends laughed at her, realising by the annoyed sounds that she was thinking too much. Kira reached over and gave her a little shove.

"Hey, you there with the over-flowing thinker! Don't let it get to you, ne? It's only a song … it was only an act. Personally I'd be thrilled he sang to me … though I'd prefer Rei-"

Megumi promptly clapped a hand to Kira's mouth to shut her up – Mika wasn't feeling any better by the look on her face, so Megumi tried to cheer her up instead.

"What Kira means to say is Ruki never sings for anyone, let alone one person. I mean, yes, he did use a sad song, but you should feel lucky he sang to you. 'BathRoom' isn't a bad song … to me it just sounds like falling in love with a dream or … something …"

Mika giggled when Megumi trailed off and looked thoughtful, like she was contemplating if what she said was right. Ai and Kikyo both gripped her shoulder and shook her gently, making Mika smile for the first time since the 'BathRoom' was performed. She loved how understanding and helpful her friends were – even with her constantly worrying over a sing song, that probably wasn't supposed to affect her _that_ much anyway. Suddenly the girls were distracted by something on stage … a single spotlight over Ruki's mic-stand, and there he was standing behind it with his 'baby'. For any fan that'd seen the bonus footage from the bands Nameless Liberty DVD, they would remember Ruki giving his 'Cassis' guitar a nickname. A wave of hushed voices began to sweep through the crowd, some excitedly whispering that they were about to play 'Cassis'. Ruki adjusted the strap on his guitar and took one glance behind him at Kai, who counted Aoi into the opening.

It was decided, from the moment the single was released, that Cassis is a beautiful song – it was heart-felt but not in the sappy way. The girls loved Ruki's lyrics the most, because he was telling the story like it is. Even without the over-flowing sentiment, he could still sing a love song and mean it. The audience just stood and listened to the music; some groups of fans had their arms linked, while other girls who'd dragged their boyfriends along were cuddling. Ai, Kikyo, Mika, Megumi and Kira all had their arms linked too as they sang along with Ruki. It was a nice change to hear a calm song and simply watch the band playing … it gave them a chance to cool down. Mika's worries about BathRoom washed away now and she smiled warmly as she noticed Ruki start playing his part on the guitar in the chorus.

As the song was progressing, Kikyo smiled to herself when Uruha changed from acoustic guitar to his electric solo – she loved hearing it and it was her most favourite solo by him. Kira loved watching Reita – he looked so calm while playing but she figured he was the type to have more fun jumping around than to stand still all the time. Ai was marvelling at Aoi on his acoustic guitar – she always thought he was the best acoustic player and it really did suit him. Megumi also smiled when watching Kai – she was so used to him jamming and bashing away during heavy songs that during Cassis he was so quiet and had a relaxed expression on his face. Mika felt butterflies in her stomach when Ruki started playing his guitar – she loved this song the most because it was the only one that he played guitar Live, and his solo near the end always moved her.

And to Megumi and Mika's extra delight, they heard both Ruki and Kai singing together in some parts as usual. Fans from far and wide were always in awe with how talented and 'multi-tasking' Kai was – not only being able to play the drums with so much strength and stamina, but also to be able to sing at the same time was not something every drummer could or would do. It brought a smile to every fan when they got to see Kai sing, especially when he could only see the drums side-on so they gave him recognition for that. At the songs end, with Aoi and Uruha again being the ones to make a flashy finish on their guitars, the crowd applauded respectfully – it was all they needed to do to show they loved the performance. Even the guys felt that's all they needed to hear for such a song as each of them bowed gratefully to them.

--

The lights dimmed a little after Cassis but stayed on enough so that the audience could just see the guys moving around. Ruki carried the mic-stand back to set it next to Kai's platform and it was now one of the staff on side-stage near Uruha came running on to retrieve Ruki's guitar. After the man had run back off stage, Ruki yanked the mic from its stand and again wiped his mouth with the sweatband – those stage lights were starting to really heat the place up. Aoi and Reita quickly dabbed their faces with a small towel while they had the chance, Kai had a large mouthful of water and enjoyed the cool breeze on his back from his electric fan. Uruha was now in the middle of changing guitars for the next song – it saved him from retuning the strings when he really didn't have time to do it, so having the new guitar meant it was all ready to go.

Meanwhile the girls had no idea what song the band would play next – they just did Bathroom and Cassis but what would come after that? Of course it was always hard to presume even though they'd been to numerous concerts before – the guys were very good at keeping the fans guessing. The girls watched them eagerly as they noticed Ruki taking another mouthful from his water bottle and then he stepped up Kai's platform to speak with the drummer. Kai, who was in the middle of absentmindedly twirling a drumstick between his fingers, almost dropped it when he suddenly noticed Ruki standing over him. The singer had noticeably just said something to him because Kai nodded and could also be seen saying 'Hai', before Ruki jumped down again and went to stand behind his platform. The girls were looking at each other curiously – what was he doing?

"Ah … sumimasen … I want to just pause for a minute again. I had to ask our Grand-Leader for his permission to talk a moment".

Ruki joked and he glanced behind him to gesture an out-stretched arm to Kai, who seemed to laugh at Ruki, keeping an amused little grin on his face as the singer continued. Aoi, Reita and Uruha at the same time had no idea what Ruki was doing so they just let him go – there was no harm in him speaking again because it gave them a another chance to rest.

"I'm sorry to keep stopping; I'm sure your waiting for us to more on with it but I just thought I'd take a moment here. You see … it never occurred to me until right now … how significant it was having 'BathRoom' and 'Cassis' put together. And I'm sure my band mates had no idea either".

Ruki smirked and glanced around at his even more confused band mates. Uruha was standing with his hands on his hips and looking as if to say '_what the hell are you doing_?' Kai just watched and listened because he was curious to what Ruki was talking about. Aoi was gripping the fingerboard of his guitar in both hands, holding it firmly to his chest. Reita just stared at Ruki, arms crossed and apparently waiting for Ruki to get on with it.

"See, it just occurred to me tonight … I've just told a story. Of dreaming so deeply about someone you've never met … someone who may only exist in your dream even … yet you can't help but fall in love … even if you never see that person again".

Ruki looked down at his feet and then back to the audience. An unsettling atmosphere seemed to fall over the crowd as they listened to such a deep and meaningful speech – this was so because even though he always made meaningful speeches, they were never quite as deep as this was now. Ruki continued.

"Then … 'Cassis' was like the happy ending … that you will see that person again … whether it's in a dream or in reality. Now I admit I don't know where all this is coming from suddenly, but I hope it will hold some special meaning for all of you … it does for me, even if I am talking rubbish".

The fans laughed on that last word, which made Ruki smile too as he lowered the mic – even though the fans felt uneasy at first, the speech had suddenly turned into a good thing and again it brought them a sense of good feeling. Even the girls had no idea what he was on about, but in the end his speech did seem right – both songs did seem to meld together nicely to form a kind of story. It was also nice of him to say that he hoped it meant something to the fans; it brought a smile to their faces, and even the other guys had smiled too. But what confused them the most was when he said it has meaning for him too – immediately after Mika felt that pang again … did he have someone after all? Well, there was really nothing she could do even if she was jealous, so Mika put on a smile and clapped along with the rest of the crowd's applause. Up on the stage, the lights dimmed a little more and Ruki raised his arm. Kai began the slow beat of 'Baretta' before Aoi joined him.

Within the first few seconds of Kai and Aoi's playing, the fans screamed excitedly but just as quickly they quieted down so as not to interrupt the song. They were excited because they knew that halfway through the song they would see Reita's bass solo, Kai's drum solo, and Aoi and Uruha's duet together. Anyone who remembered the 'Nameless Liberty' tour knew what it was like to watch – no matter how many times Aoi and Uruha performed their 'Baretta' duet, fans never failed to be impressed by how well it was done. The first verse was a quiet start to the song but once he got into the second verse, and the song had lifted a bit, Ruki felt his voice growing stronger. The girls thought that 'Baretta' was the best song for him, because it complimented his voice, especially during the chorus because it demanded the strength. But all too soon, it was time for solos.

Ruki moved out of the way and Reita jumped forward to stand on Ruki's platform in the spotlight, effortlessly blowing everyone away with his solo. Not a lot of people would think that you can get much sound from a bass except to be just the background music … but Reita could make more sounds come out of a bass than anyone might think possible. Then Reita went back to his place and it was Kai's turn to show up a little bit with his solo, as the spotlight moved from Reita to him – he never failed to leave fans staring in awe at his versatility of the drums. Considered by many to be one of the best drummers, Kai was always able to come up with something new and exciting in his playing. Then it was Aoi's turn to do his short solo piece first, the spotlight on him for that time, as he walked slowly towards the edge of the stage and positioned himself there.

But no sooner had he finished, but the spotlight faded out and once again reappeared over Ruki's platform to reveal Uruha, glowing like an angel in his white costume. Uruha began his short solo there, but within moments Aoi was right there beside him to start their duet, earning excited cheers from fans below them. Of course Aoi and Uruha could have used the whole front of the stage just to be different from last time, but they still preferred the centre stage that was Ruki's platform. Ai and Kikyo looked at each other excitedly as they gripped hands and watched their favourite guys perform only a few feet away. With Ai seated next to the aisle and Kikyo right next to her, they were pretty close to dead centre, so they both had a good view. But sadly it had to end some time, and after they were finished, Aoi and Uruha parted from the platform to an eruption of cheers.

It still overwhelmed them how much their fans still loved to watch that duet. As the song was now coming to it's finish, Aoi and Uruha were the only two to be playing the final chords. Ruki repeated the last line 'Hakanai yume da to' softer and softer like he'd done before, just as the music was fading too. When the music had finally stopped completely, the stage went black again and all that could be heard was the rumbling applause of the audience. The band had once again performed that song perfectly with such equal passion from each member – thanks to Aoi and Uruha for their dual performance, and Reita and Kai for putting that extra bit of kick to the music, and last but not least, Ruki for the strength in his singing. After hearing 'Baretta' the fans felt uplifted and ready for more – they couldn't wait to hear what song was played next.

* * *

**NOTES:**  
1) Ruki saying 'Ikirukai': Listen carefully to one of their Lives, and I think this is what he says to the audience sometimes. Basically means 'Lets Go', 'Lets Live', 'Lets party', etc.  
2) BathRoom and Cassis: Putting these songs together was actually an accident, I hadn't intended for them to hold any kind of symbolism. But it turned out alright

Please read & review :-)


	5. Chapter 05

**WARNINGS:** some fan-girling

* * *

The girls were feeling really good after hearing 'Baretta', having indeed been to see the 'Nameless Liberty' final together. Though they were quite far back from the stage – possibly just a little bit back from the very middle of the floor to be exact. They had then how amazing 'Baretta' was then and they were still impressed by it even now – it was not a performance that any GazettE fan could soon forget. In fact, the girls were so excited from watching it they had struck up a conversation with two other fans in the row behind them – they were the Lolita girl, Mariko, and her Uruha-cosplay friend, Yuki. The conversation had started when Yuki had over-heard Kikyo commenting on how cool Uruha's playing was. So this gave Kikyo the excuse to talk to Yuki about her costume, with Ai, Megumi and Kira listening in, while Mika and Mariko babbled on about how cute Ruki was.

"Oh my gosh, I really love how detailed your costume is! The top is so neatly made and even the ties are in the right places!"

Kikyo said excitedly as Yuki lifted her arm to let her look at the longer side of the vest. Ai leaned in closer to look, while Megumi and Kira left their seats to get around Mika and find a better spot to see. Yuki's costume was so accurate, even the colour and make of material was very close – and her hair only complimented the costume even more. Ai and Megumi were very impressed and Kira spoke up.

"Did you really make the whole thing yourself? It must have taken ages! How did you find the resources?"

"Oh it wasn't easy. I actually screen-capped a lot of pictures from their 'Zetsu' video on my computer … which was hard because Uruha-kun moves around a lot".

That made the whole group laugh, except Mariko and Mika who were still discussing Ruki. Yuki looked down at her costume proudly, tugged on the vest and then pat her thighs softly before giggling.

"You know, I must say he's the only one from a Visual Kei band who I believe can get away with wearing pants that expose his thighs!"

"I think so too, I hope he keeps dressing that way!"

Kikyo whole-heartedly agreed, a look of sheer delight at that thought and also from finding another fan that shared her sentiments on the subject of Uruha's thighs. Ai, Kikyo, Megumi, Kira and Yuki continued to talk over which costumes they loved the most from the GazettE – with much giggling and chattering between Kikyo and Yuki about Uruha's costumes. While, yes, Mika was still practically nose-to-nose with Mariko, talking anything and everything about Ruki – ranging from his personality on stage, to what he might be like off stage, and just typical Ruki-fan gabbling. And meanwhile back on the blackened stage, after taking a quick breather, the band was ready to get going on the next song. Suddenly the opening to 'Cockroach' burst from the loud speakers. The audience quickly got over being startled before screaming loudly and turning into one back mosh-pit, with Ruki up there urging them on all the way.

'Cockroach' was a very rough song, but not in the bad way – it was rough in the way that only Ruki knew how to put across in his singing, and the other guys in their instruments. Whatever the feeling was, the fans loved hearing 'Cockroach' again … being able to jump along with Ruki before the first verse, and again during the choruses gave them an excuse to go crazy. That's what it was – a wild song. The guitars, bass and drums mashed together to form this untamed sound … the kind of sound that could turn anyone wild. It was just like Ruki's lyrics – "Natural born rebel spirit" – and that was how the fans felt about 'Cockroach. The whole hall seemed to fill with that rebel spirit within each fan, and each of the guys could see it as they played – they couldn't see a single person in the audience that wasn't dancing.

The most fun was the chorus, turning into that great mosh-pit every time, but the verses were just as energetic – Aoi and Uruha had the chance to dance around with Reita and Ruki again. Even Kai couldn't hide his grinning face as he shook his head, that wild mane of dark hair stuck in strands to his face with each shake. And like clockwork, the crowd followed along with Ruki in head banging. The girls even joined in with towards the end of the song. Although they weren't into it as much like most of the fans because it wasn't exactly their style, this time they made an exception and actually managed to keep their balance with a little help from the railing. As the song was now coming to a finish, and Ruki screamed out the last line of the final verse, the lights blacked-out over them once again, leaving the fans to scream and cheer in the dark _again_. Mariko and Yuki got the girls attention before the next song started; Mariko was the one to speak.

"I never get sick of listening to that song! Yuki and I once had it on repeat for over six hours when their 'Gama' CD was released!"

The seven of them laughed and Yuki spoke now.

"We danced around my room a few times. It drove my ma-ma crazy so she ended up going out for the rest of the day".

The girl's eyes seemed to pop at hearing what Mariko and Yuki just said and Mika spoke next.

"Chi-chi doesn't worry much about me playing songs by the GazettE because he used to be the bass player in a band when he was younger. But I think he pretends to hate rock music now because that's what most parents do. Ma-ma likes some of their softer songs. She always asks me to turn up 'Cassis' whenever I play it".

--

In between songs, all seven of the girls really got into talking again – the band seemed to be having lengthily breaks in between songs a lot that night … only up to about a minute but that was still a long time compared to the normal few seconds. During this particular break the stage remained dark, but the audience were able to adjust to the dim lighting that bordered the floor seating area. The girls got into talking about their favourite member – Mariko and Yuki were amazed that Ai, Kikyo, Mika, Megumi and Kira all liked one of the guys individually. Mariko thought that this way at least the five of them wouldn't get jealous about each other over one member – to which they all laughed in agreement. Of course they already knew that Yuki had Uruha as her favourite, hence the costume, and Mariko liked Ruki the most – simply because she kept stating that fact.

Mariko claimed that even though he had such a 'dirty mouth' and rather suggestive lyrics, it didn't deter her from making him her favourite. Mika agreed with her, also mentioning that her mother thought his choice of words were a bit raw, but his voice was incredible. Yuki also got Megumi's attention when she said that Kai was just great – that no matter how sad she might be about something, just looking at a photo of him smiling always made her happy. Megumi felt her face growing hot, even though no one could see her blushing, as she too admitted to doing the same thing. Ai and Kira couldn't help but laugh when Mariko and Yuki exclaimed their love for Aoi's and Reita's skill on guitar and bass. Ai said that she would give anything to learn guitar from Aoi, much like Kikyo wanted from Uruha, but Kira claimed she was happy just to watch him being a 'guy'. Yuki and Mariko solely agreed with giggles – they too couldn't imagine Reita any other way.

Meanwhile on the stage Ruki had picked up a thick, black feather bower that had been sitting hidden behind Kai's platform. He draped it around his shoulders and then took a little mega-phone sitting on the step just in front of Kai's bass drum – they were ready for the next song. Reita had swapped his bass like Uruha had done with his guitar before – he'd changed from the oak-wood to his very shiny black model with white marble-print panel on the front. Aoi pulled at the shoulders of his silver jacket while he waited – he couldn't wait to change before the encore, his back was wet. It wasn't often he wore tight, long-sleeve tops for Lives; maybe the 'Regret' costume wasn't such a good idea after all. Kai took the time to wipe a clean towel over his arms because he was feeling the heat from the strong lights – even dabbing the towel over his face but being careful not to smudge his make-up.

Finally the lights flared up again, but not as suddenly so that the fans weren't startled again, and when they saw Ruki they knew what was coming up next – once again the hall was filled with screams of delight. Reita and Kai picked up the start of 'Silly God Disco' and Ruki threw one end of the feather bower over his shoulder as he began to dance around with Aoi and Uruha. The fans jumped in time to the opening, arms waving back and forth or clapping as Uruha and Aoi soon joined Reita and Kai. No one seemed to care that the feather bower looked a bit weird with Ruki's 'Regret' costume because, considering he didn't do much with it for the 'Nameless Liberty' final, they were still excited to be seeing him using it. Anyone who knew the bands Live shows well was now looking forward to the middle of the song, when Ruki and Uruha would get to perform a mini show of their own.

The girls laughed at the guys as they danced in circles around each other again. Especially Kira at Reita because he was always so confined to his little corner between Aoi and Kai – she liked seeing him move freely around the stage. When Ruki swapped from using the mega-phone to the mic at the start of the first chorus, the audience began swaying their hands from side-to-side in time with Aoi and Uruha as they swayed with their guitars. Then after Ruki sang through the first two rounds of 'Hey God! Are you ready?' the fans could tell what happened next. Ruki sharply turned his head to leer at Uruha as he began his solo part. The first few rows of girls closest to the stage squealed with delight when Uruha moved towards the edge to play for them at first. Half way through his solo, Uruha moved back and got up close to Ruki who began dancing in front of him like he was so often expected to do.

But this time he also took the feather bower and threw it around Uruha's neck, pulling him down to chest-height so he could kiss the top of the guitarist's head before the solo was finished. Kikyo said a very loud 'Oh my god!' and her and Mika covered their eyes – once again their two favourite guys were fan servicing. Then Ruki of course took the feather bower back once the fan-service was done; Ruki smirked to himself at hearing excited screams as he went back to stand behind his mic. After the fans calmed down the song continued, and each time Ruki sang 'Are you ready?' they jumped and punched the air. This was also another song that you could easily dance too; Ruki and Uruha already proved that. Finally as the song was finishing, Ruki sang the last line of it and shook the feather bower from his shoulders, letting it loop over his arms and around his back. Mika could hear Ruki-fans screaming his name, clearly liking what they saw, which made him smile as he shouted 'Sankyu!' to his mic.

--

Ruki whipped the feather bower from his shoulders and tossed it over the top of the drums to Kai. He visibly laughed and stood up to catch it, which he then bundled it up to throw to one of the staff behind the wall beside him. Some of the fans could be heard laughing or clapping at such a completely random act, and even the staff on side-stage had to smile in amusement. Aoi, Reita and Uruha were smiling too – they were quite impressed that Ruki had even bothered to use the feather bower _and_ been able to pull it off with the 'Regret' costume. He never even used it during 'Nameless Liberty' except when walking up to the stage, and they were actually wearing the right costumes for that. Mika covered her mouth with both hands and laughed as she watched Ruki fooling around, and even Megumi smiled when Kai caught the bundle of black feathers. Yuki leaned forward to speak to the girls, mainly Kikyo and Mika.

"I was waiting for Ruki-san and Uruha-kun to dance together, it's always expected of that song now but …"

Yuki trailed off and glanced up at the stage before giggling.

"I really hadn't expected him to dance around with the feather bower, or even to wrap it around Uruha-kun's neck and dance with him".

Kikyo nodded vigorously.

"Yeah I can't help but feel a little bit jealous. And I'm sure my friend Mika feels the same about Ruki".

Mika swung around and looked at Kikyo with a shocked look, her mouth gaping wide open. Yuki and Mariko laughed when Mika swatted Kikyo's arm with one hand at a time – they could see by this that she was embarrassed. Kikyo just stuck her tongue out and looked excitedly back at the stage like the other girls were doing. The band seemed to have settled down from the recent comical act and Aoi now had his arms wrapped around his acoustic guitar. The girls looked at each other and frowned, wondering what other song they'd be playing with acoustics. They all quickly tried to think of one with acoustic guitars until they saw Ruki gripping the mic on its stand and he whispered … 'Reila'. The audience barely had time to voice their excitement before Reita, Kai and Uruha joined in for the start of the song; they quickly quieted down again to listen.

Out of the five girls, Megumi and Kira were the ones to make 'aww' sounds when the band started playing 'Reila'. They hadn't heard the song for so long it made them a bit emotional – it was that particular song that held a special place for them … for all five of them in fact. Megumi and Kira had met in the same music shop when the 'Reila' single first came out. They had both bought all three versions of the single and, after leaving the pre-order line, just happened to start talking about the GazettE on the way out of the shop. Then Kira introduced Megumi to Ai at the Superb-Mart, which all three of them work there now. And Megumi was already friend with Mika and Kikyo, who both work at a child day-care together. Very soon all five of them had gotten together and realised they had a lot in common and became best friends really quickly. And the rest as they say is history … here they are now, almost two years later and going to the GazettE concerts together.

During the whole song, Ruki did not move from where he was standing with both hands gripping the top of the mic stand. Being a somewhat grave song, when ever Ruki wasn't singing his face disappeared just between his elbows like he was hiding … and he barely lifted his head any higher than that when he did sing. Aoi and Uruha moved out a bit from their corners to show the fans their solos. Aoi was the first and he put a lot of emotion into his playing, getting lost in the music as he closed his eyes. Uruha's performance was no less – he also played his piece perfectly, also closing his eyes to remember back when the song was written. Reita, although confined to his corner again for a slow song, still managed to engage the fans with the hypnotic bass rhythm. And even Kai looked to be channelling a bit of emotion by the deep expression of his face.

By watching each member of the band, the whole hall seemed to fall into another emotional stupor at hearing such a deep song. Clusters of friends held hands, linked arms or cuddled while listening, not daring to move or make a sound … Finally the song was coming to an end and Ruki had finished singing his heart out once again. Dropping his hands from the mic he looked up at the high ceiling of the hall and listened as his band mates faded out the music. The fans who were close enough were close to tears by the end – there had been rumours the song was about someone he really cared for, but that person was gone now. And adding onto _that_ rumour was another one questioning if that person had died, and if not then who was this mystery person? Ai, Kikyo, Mika, Megumi and Kira wrapped their arms around each other and cuddled – they really hoped the GazettE didn't play any other sad songs that night.

--

Ruki swallowed hard and felt like screaming to the technicians to blackout the stage because he could feel a slight sting at the corners of his eyes. Finally the stage did blackout and he quickly spun around, holding the sweatband to the corner of his right eye. Reita stepped over to him and gripped the back of Ruki's neck gently, giving him a little shake and then patting him softly on the back. Kai, Aoi and Uruha couldn't see him from where they were because it was too dark but they all looked in the direction he was probably standing. Ruki gripped Reita's arm, giving it a firm squeeze to say he was all right. Reita let him go and went back to his place to wait for the next song while Ruki took a deep breath as he told himself to get a grip. 'Reila' had some significants to him more so than the girl's reason – it was very personal to him. And the fact that the band had performed it tonight also marked the very last time Ruki was ever going to sing it … it was time to move on.

The fans were eagerly watching the blacked-out stage, hoping their favourite singer was all right – most had noticed that he looked very forlorn towards the end. Even Mariko and Mika were talking among themselves, as they were concerned for him. But finally the stage lit up again and there was Ruki, standing proud and tall on his platform. The fans smiled and cheered was Ruki briefly waved to them, also smiling back at them. He bent over a little with his hands on his hips and gave a bow of appreciation for making him smile again. On hearing his name being called it actually embarrassed him a little and he turned his back to jump down from the platform. Within seconds of him raising his arm, Kai and Uruha began to opening to 'Carry?', which made the audience scream harder and Ruki got everyone up by chanting 'Jump, jump' in his mic.

When it was time for Aoi and Reita to join in, Ruki led everyone into head-banging as the song got heavier – the girls decided to join in too just for the sake of it. 'Carry?' was another song that would never be forgotten easily. Ever since it's release in the 'Disorder' album, it was played in practically every Live they performed. And as usual, to many Ruki and Kai fans alike, when it came to singing 'Carry, Carry', Kai was right there singing along with Ruki. Megumi loved it when Kai sang because she always thought drummers were left in the background and didn't get much love – but not Kai. She liked the way Kai's teased hair whipped around his face each time he turned to his mic. Ai and Kikyo were enjoying watching Aoi and Uruha dancing around too, even though they didn't move far from their corners this time. Kira laughed when Reita got to spin around like he was so often restricted in doing – it was only possible when the others weren't close by.

Finally 'Carry?' was also coming to an end and Ruki was singing the last little verses. When he came to singing 'I love you forever', the girls could have sworn that as he was pointing out over the audience he seemed to pause briefly on their direction. Ai, Kikyo, Megumi and Kira looked at each other – he could have been pointing to Mika again. However Mika was so excited to be hearing 'Carry?' again that she was oblivious to her friends looking at each other. Maybe they were just imagining it, so they shrugged it off before joining the crowd in clapping and cheering. At least they had gone for a more hyped up song to make-up for the sadness of 'Reila'. The girls were worried that if Ruki sang anymore depressing songs he'd just curl up in a heap on the stage and have to cancel the rest of the concert. But seeing he was already jumping around after 'Carry?' they knew he was going to be just fine.

--

The whole band were currently thinking the same thing – they were only just over half way through the concert, still with plenty more songs to perform … each of them were looking forward to that pre-encore break. Ruki put his mic down on top of Kai's platform so he could take another mouthful of water while he had the chance. Uruha was swapping his guitar back again and while the staff did that, he gently pat a towel over his forehead to wipe the sweat away. Aoi was attracting a few whistles and claps from fans just below him as he slipped the silver jacket from his shoulders to reveal a tight-fitting black singlet. He was obviously getting too hot to wait for the break. On folding the jacket neatly he then tossed it to a staff member just on side-stage near him. Reita was stretching his arms over his head and twisting his neck around – he began to feel a few cramps. Kai had set his drumsticks down to also quickly dab a towel over his face – even with the electric fan on his back, those over-head lights still had some bite in them.

Down in the first row, the girls watched their favourite guy's every move. Aoi was getting the most attention from fans because he was stripping, but Ai wasn't complaining – she found it amusing he thought his best feature was his whole body. Kira was again laughing at how much of a 'guy' Reita acted – he always looked menacing, or tried to, yet his personality and nature were quite the opposite. Kikyo had her head tilted lightly in thought as she watched Uruha – his hair was styled just like the 'Regret' video, but she preferred it curled upwards in numerous strands. Megumi smiled as she watched Kai talking to a staff member who was hidden somewhere beside his drum set. He seemed to laugh at something before sitting up right and threading both hands through his hair. And Mika was marvelling at how Ruki could handle those dreadlocks – they were a bit longer than the 'Filth in the Beauty' video, and looked just as heavy.

The guys were now ready to keep going, and as Ruki glanced up at Kai with mic in hand, the drummer began his opening to 'Maximum Impulse'. Again the fans didn't get much time to show their excited before Aoi, Reita and Uruha jumped in for the opening. Within the first minute of the song Ruki had everyone jumping and pumping their fists into the air with great enthusiasm before he started singing … or rather shouting. Most fans simply waved the hands in mid-air circles during the singing but then got straight back into jumping when he stopped. When it came to Ruki singing the 'Risky pogo dance' line, once again the hall looked like a human wave of arms that moved in perfect unison – even the chorus was just as united in the air punches. And then came the part that Megumi had been waiting for – the moment of the song when Kai got to shout to his mic in between Ruki's singing. It was another one of those misconceptions about him that if you'd never seen Kai perform, you'd never believe just how loud he could be.

Ever since Megumi became interested in the GazettE, when she saw Kai singing during Lives, it really fascinated her at how he could play and sing while barely looking at his drums. The other girls were in awe of his talent too, and even wondered why he didn't just use a headpiece – but there was certainly a reason for not using it and trusted that he knew what was best for his playing. And further into the song Kikyo was thrilled to finally see Uruha's solo, where he positioned himself right near the edge of the stage so she could see it clearly. She remembered it vividly from 'Nameless Liberty' and loved it ever since. It was good to hear 'Maximum Impulse' again; being a very up-beat song, it pepped the audience up nicely and as usual the guys never failed to perform that song perfectly. When Ruki had finished singing, he joined his band mates in swaying from side-to-side along to the music, but because the fans had limited swaying space, they just resorted to waving their arms from side-to-side.

--

The guys seemed to really like playing 'Maximum Impulse' because it was a kind of inspirational song – much like saying 'feel the energy and make good use of it'. The kind of song you'd play to a sports team, as an example, but really it was best directed at young people to encourage drive and conviction. It meant something to each of the girls because it reminded them to pursue their dream careers. So in a way the GazettE was helping them do that through the inspiring songs. After the song the girls and of course the rest of the audience were feeling really hyped up, even feeling like they could listen to it all over again. But they had a feeling it was due for another lighter song – call it fans intuition. The girls were again talking to Mariko and Yuki about what songs they liked so far and what they thought would be next. Mariko couldn't decide.

"Oh it's too hard to call. I really have no idea what they might play next … I'd like to hear 'Hanakotoba' … or 'D.L.N'? What do you think, Kira-chan?"

"Ah this is probably pushing it but I'm kind of hoping for 'Saraba' or 'Ito' from their Akuyukai mini album. I know they're old songs but it'd be nice to hear either of those again. Off the top of my head I can't think of any others, but they might not even play a softer song yet …"

Kira trailed off when from the corner of her eye she could see the guys moving around on stage. When she fully turned to look up at the stage, the other girls did too and noticed the band were now again ready to keep performing. Ruki was kneeling down behind his platform to get a better look at the set-list – five more songs before they cleared the main part of the concert and then a break before the inevitable encore. At least they got to change shirts before the encore and Aoi was already halfway there. Uruha couldn't wait to get out of the sticky white vest, Reita just wanted a clean shirt and Kai was thinking the same thing. Ruki stood up again and gripped the mic in both hands on its stand. Kai shifted in his seat and began to opening to 'Saraba'. Kira smiled happily, feeling that she must have channelled some thought to the band to make them play 'Saraba'.

When Aoi, Reita and Uruha joined Kai for the opening, the fans instantly perked up and just stood listening. They didn't cheer excitedly this time, because the song 'Saraba' was about War; an 'Anti War' theme to be precise, as Ruki says in his lyrics towards the end. The girls all linked arms as they swayed slightly along to the music and sang with Ruki. Most of the audience were doing the same thing, feeling that it wasn't an appropriate time to be dancing like there were no tomorrow. When it came to him singing 'An anti war song' the fans raised their arms and slowly waved them side-to-side along with the music. It was another song that really got through to them and it was a good thing that bands like the GazettE were actually trying to get a message across. The girls dropped their linked arms and followed the crowd.

They too hated hearing about War so they loved how the band wrote a song about the issue – Ruki's lyrics were very moving. It showed they really noticed what was going on in the world. As the song was coming to an end and Ruki was speaking the last part of the words, he brought one hand up from gripping the mic stand to place in a salute to his head. Surprisingly most of the audience followed him and did the same thing. And then on his last word 'Saraba …' he dropped both hands to his sides and backed away from the mic-stand, bowing his head in respect. Again the fans followed, and even the girls did too. It was something they had never done during a GazettE concert before, or even seen Ruki do for that song. Mika was really moved by how it touched Ruki and she could see just how sensitive he really was.

--

When Ruki lifted his head from bowing, not only was he a little shocked to see the fans copying him but when he glanced around at his band mates, they all were all bowing too. Ruki just stood and stared at them for a moment – Aoi and Uruha both had their hands resting on their knees, Reita had his hands on his hips and Kai was resting the drumsticks in his lap. Just as Ruki was looking out over the audience again, they were all beginning to stand up straight again. Gradually applause began to rumble through the hall; no cheering, just clapping … the band always gave memorable performances but the last one would never be forgotten. One-by-one the guys straightened up too and started clapping. Ruki held a hand up to his mouth and gave a visibly embarrassed laugh when he looked around to see they were clapping for him.

How many times had they performed that song before and this never happened, so it was overwhelming him a bit. And the fact the stage stayed lit-up meant that he couldn't hide anywhere … all he could do was stand there. The girls were smiling as they continued to clap, watching how Ruki became more and more shy the longer the applause went on. The clapping seemed to get louder as now whistles and cheers could be heard. Ruki felt he couldn't take much more as he hunched down behind his platform to hide and he cupped a hand over his mouth to also hide the big grin he had. Aoi, Reita and Uruha were laughing at him too, which didn't help because then some of the fans began to laugh. Kai laughed too and shook his head before standing up with his mic-arm in one hand, pausing for a moment to wait for the applause to stop.

"Ah … it seems our esteemed lead singer has become speechless".

The fans clapped again in response before Kai continued.

"We are very proud of the song 'Saraba' … no one likes to read or hear or even see the results of War … Ruki paid his respects to those who fight for our freedom and in return you have dome the same … Ruki is very touched by what you've done and he thanks you … now what do you say? Let's get him up off the ground to sing another song?"

Cheers, whistles and clapping erupted once again in response to Kai's statement, and then chanting of Ruki's name started in their attempt to make him stand up. The embarrassed singer laughed again as Aoi, Reita, Kai and Uruha began to slow beat, much like they did to get the crowd going. It started slowly, with the fans keeping up by shouting and punching the air with closed fists, before gradually getting faster and faster. Ruki glanced over his shoulder at Kai who, while bashing on the crash cymbals harder and harder, grinned mischievously at him. Ruki felt Kai had done this on purpose just to put him on the spot. Finally Ruki stood up again, and the music and chanting abruptly stopped – in surprisingly sharp unison too. He just stood for a second, with his mouth mere millimetres from the mic, before raising a hand to signal Kai for the start of 'Anti Pop'.

Never before had the audience jumped and danced so much during a song that night. Pretty much from the moment Ruki started singing, they were jumping around and swinging their arms back and forth to the music. If arms weren't swaying, hands were clapping or fists were punching the air. Mika had long since taken her large white hoodie off because she was really started to feel the heat, whereas the other girls were comfortable in lighter clothes. After singing the first two sets of 'Let's go it is our turn', Ruki broke into shouting a whole lot of practically in-audible gibberish into his mic. The girls, Mika mostly, couldn't help but laugh at him and how well he could make up anything on the spot … besides, no one could distinguish what he'd said so they didn't even try. But after that there was a long break in between singing when Kai, Reita, Aoi and Uruha really jammed on their instruments.

Aoi, Reita and Uruha left their places to form a line along the edge of the stage to play to the fans, while Ruki stayed behind his platform with one foot placed on it, and Kai kept bashing away on his drums. The fans closest to the stage screamed louder and reached out for him – Kikyo was the only one to be most excited out of the girls because Uruha was right near her. And even though there may not have been a lot of lyrics for 'Anti Pop', the 'Destructive Music' and Ruki's singing was all the fans needed to enjoy the song – there was no room for pop music in their world. After Aoi, Reita and Uruha were done showing off they all retreated back to their places once more to fade the music out. The audience once again broke out into excited cheers and clapping as the song ended and the stage blackened yet again.

* * *

**NOTES:**  
1) The song 'Reila': This alot of speculation about this song and what it means. Some people think that someone close to one of the guys had died because of the video clip, but thats not exactly mentioned in the song. My theory is that someone close to one of the guys (possibly Ruki??) may have done something hurtful to him, and now this person is 'dead' to him?? If you are familiar with the saying 'You are dead to me' then you'll know what I mean. But this is only my theory, and will have some significants later on  
2) After 'Reila': Where it says - 'marked the very last time Ruki was ever going to sing it … it was time to move on' - this is also why it will be significant in the future of my stories, so keep an eye out  
3) The song 'Saraba': I love it when bands use their music to speak up about issues today, so kudos to the GazettE for writing this song about War

Please read & review :)


	6. Chapter 06

**WARNINGS:** coarse language

* * *

All too quickly 'Anti Pop' had ended too, marking another milestone towards the end of another amazing Live show by the GazettE. While the stage had blacked-out again, the girls all made really loud 'aww' sounds, even though it wasn't really heard over the applause. They were upset because they preferred to watch the band getting ready for the next song, but sometimes that night it seemed the lighting crew loved to keep the fans in suspense. And the fact there were extended breaks between songs meant the fans could spend a longer length of time watching the concert, so no one complained – maybe it was the band's idea? The girls squinted and strained their eyes to try and see onto the stage but it was just too dark, and the only lighting once again was the foot-lights around the seating area … so it was pointless. While the audience was fidgeting and calling out to their favourite band member, the girls turned around to talk to Mariko and Yuki again. Kikyo was the one to speak first to Yuki.

"Hey, how many Live gigs have you been to? This is obviously not your first if you're that good at making cosplay costume! My friends and I were at the Nameless Liberty Finale but we weren't this close … more like back before the middle of the floor".

Yuki laughed and nodded.

"Mariko and I have been to a few Live's, yeah. I got to see them in Sapporo during their Nameless Liberty Tour because I was visiting my cousin. Unfortunately Mariko wasn't in Sapporo with me, but my cousin came to see the concert instead. It was so cold waiting outside, but during the show Kai got up and apologised for us having to wait in the snow".

The girls once again made 'aww' sounds – that was sweet of Kai. Then Mariko spoke.

"I wish I could have seen the Sapporo Live but at least we both got to see the Finale in Budoukan. We were actually up on the balconies to the left a little …"

She turned around and gestured to the spot that was roughly where they had been – it was easy to show considering the interior of Yoshiatsu was similar to Budoukan.

"So we got quite a good view of the whole stage, but sadly we were a bit too far away to see their faces".

Mariko pouted a little and Yuki laughed before patting her back softly. Ai, Kikyo, Megumi and Kira laughed too while Mika also pat Mariko on the shoulder – they pretty much knew how Mariko and Yuki felt because they too had been far from the stage. Fans had to be lucky to get front-row seats in time before the tickets sold out … so the seven of them had to be really lucky this night, and they weren't going to forget it. Suddenly they perked up when the rest of the audience began to stir and the stage lit-up. Aoi was again standing with his arms wrapped around his acoustic guitar – that meant another slow song. Ruki was gripping the mic with both hands on its stand, his head slightly bowed like in the start of 'Reila'. He simply lifted his eyes to the vast hall in front of him before lowering his head again, and Kai started off the opening of 'Hanakotoba' before Aoi followed soon after. The fans cheered excitedly but quieted down again to hear the song.

After the solemness of 'Saraba' and the hype of 'Anti Pop', a song such as 'Hanakotoba' was a soft break in the music that the fans could just stand and listen to. Ruki kept his hands cupped over the mic for the first verse before he pulled it off the stand and moved sideways to stand beside it, so he could see out over the audience. He could just see a small group of fans near the middle of the floor that swayed briefly from side-to-side … until he again found himself looking at his dream girl. He noticed she was softly singing along and leaning with her arms stretched out over the railing. Two friends on her left had their arms linked while two on the other side were bobbing their heads along to the music, one with a hand on dream girl's shoulder. Now was as good a time as any … and what he was about to do was not part of their concert planning.

Ruki walked away from his platform, towards the edge of the stage near that girl. Aoi, Reita, Kai and Uruha watching him and wondered what the hell he was doing but they just kept playing, trying not to show how confused they were. Ruki then kneeled down right on the stage edge to keep singing, and Mika snapped out of her daze to look at him wide-eyed. Just as he began the chorus, he reached out and gestured with one finger for her to approach him. He was taking a big risk in doing this because some of the fans might have rushed forward in excitement, when all he wanted was for this one girl to approach him. Kikyo and Megumi were so excited and shocked at the same time that they practically forced Mika to duck underneath the railing. Mika spun around to stare in panic at her friends before slowly turning back to look up at Ruki – she felt her face growing hot when she realised how close she was to him.

Ruki held his hand out for hers, and after a moment frozen on the spot, she stepped forward and hesitantly gave it to him. Poor Mika could feel the icy stares from Ruki-fans on her back but she dared not turn around. She had Ruki of the GazettE singing to her and holding her hand … there was no way she was going to miss a second of it. Mika noticed how hot his hands were as he gently closed his fingers over her small hand and remained there while he kept singing to her. And she could so clearly see how damp him face was from being covered in sweat – those stage lights must be pretty strong to leave him and the other guys looking like that. Strangely, Mika felt like Ruki was tightening his grip on her hand, like he was not going to let go. She dropped her gaze from his face to look at their clasped hands and, lifting her eyes again to stare at him, she found herself gripping his hand tighter too, without realising what she was doing.

For most of the song Ruki never once let go of her hand or moved from where he kneeled. And by the time the song was almost over, both of them had even changed from holding hands to tangling fingers together like they were a couple in love. No offence to Ruki, but when he had moved his hand to tangle his fingers in with hers, she then had to move forward a little more. As a result she was actually feeling a tiny bit deaf because his voice was a lot stronger up close, and coupled with the loudspeakers, her ears were getting a real bashing. Finally as Ruki was finishing the last little verse, he slowly let her hand go and stood up to back away. Mika stared at him for a moment longer before realising she had to go back to her seat, and she did just that; ducking back under the railing to stand between Kikyo and Megumi. Aoi and Kai were the last two to be playing before the music faded away, the light slowly dimming with them before finally going out. The audience broke into clapping and screaming before Mika felt her shoulder being tapped – it was Mariko.

"Oh my gosh, I can't tell you how lucky you are! Most girls go to so many concerts just dying for their favourite guy to sing or play for them!"

Mika laughed anxiously, relieved that Mariko wasn't jealous but nervous about what other fans would be thinking right now. Mariko clapped her hands excitedly.

"I wish I was in your place just now! And you've probably made every Ruki-fan in this hall jealous, but don't worry about them. He never sings to a particular person in the audience so you should feel really special!"

Mika was listening to Mariko with a little smile on her face – she was also pretty sure Ai, Kikyo, Megumi, Kira and Yuki were talking excitedly to her but she couldn't hear them … she was too out of it to notice. That short moment of standing so close to Ruki and holding his hand was the only thing she could think of. Maybe Mariko was right – Ruki really didn't sing to anyone in particular from the audience. Usually because as soon as he were to jump down or even get close to the stage edge, he could possibly get pounced on by overly excited fans. Mika could just see Megumi, Ai, Kira and Kikyo all nodded enthusiastically at her when she looked around at her friends – they knew how much she liked Ruki so they believed Mika should feel special too. They had a feeling Mika would be taking about that little event for weeks to come.

--

During another short break between songs, the atmosphere of the hall was a combination of anxiousness and adrenaline as they waited for the band to keep playing. These extended pauses between each song were almost excruciating, like it was their intention to make the fans want more and more and never be satisfied. This was exactly how the girls felt; they were starting to fidget too because they just wanted to see their favourite guy. Mariko and Yuki as per normal would chat to the girls in between songs when there was enough time; at least they still had the dim floor lights so they could just see each other. Once or twice, while she was talking to Mariko and Yuki, Mika could swear a few fans here and there were either giving her 'the look' or visibly whispering to each other out of jealousy. Mika puffed out her cheeks in annoyance – were they still pissed off about what happened a moment ago? What was their problem?

All he did was sing to her, it could happen to anybody … but perhaps the fact it was Ruki they were jealous about had something to do with it. The fact he singled Mika out and not them. Finally she just decided to ignore them and enjoy the rest of the concert – after all, it just seemed to be her lucky day, what with getting a bit of attention from Ruki. Mika felt a bit down that once the concert was over she would never experience it again but she'd never forget it, and she'd never throw away the flower he'd given her. It was kind of silly to say but even if Ruki was only doing things different for a change, all of these little bits of attention he was showing her … almost felt like it had real meaning. The flower simply felt like a random occurrence, but all through the concert, he just seemed to be seeking her out every other time … and then when he held her hand tightly … was it stupid to think he meant to do it?

Meanwhile up on the stage, each of the guys was taking a moment to cool off again. Aoi was leaning on his mic-stand with both arms crossed over the top. Reita was now dabbing a towel over his forehead and even trying to get it under his noseband, which was hard to do seeing there wasn't much room to get the towel under it. Kai was pulling the back of his shirt out so the breeze from the electric fan would cool his back; he was also laughing and having a joke about it with one of the staff next to him. Uruha was crouching down in front of his own fan with his eyes closed – he couldn't wait to change before the encore. Ruki had propped himself against Kai's platform with a water bottle stuck in his mouth and just staring into the blackness before his feet. After briefly meditating he stood up and set the bottle down on the step before carefully, making sure he didn't fall on anything, walking over to Uruha to signal for the next song. The guitarist stood up and got himself ready because he was to start off first – 'Anata no Tame no Kono Inochi'.

Through the darkness that still covered the stage, Uruha had barely begun to play those first few chords of the song and Ruki had only just sung the opening line, and the fans were already cheering. By the time Aoi, Reita and Kai had joined in too, the stage lit up again in a blaze of bright lights. Ruki was also surprisingly doing his little dance from the beginning of the video clip. The fans couldn't help but laugh because in his 'Regret' costume it looked really odd; the way he swung his arms back-and-forth, up-and-down was almost comical. They were used to his black costume with the white shredded lengths of material tied around his arms and legs. But regardless of how he looked, Ruki seemed to having fun with it and he got right back into singing again. To any who listened carefully, his voice had developed so much since that song had been release … he was actually having trouble adjusting his voice to the music.

The girls were all thinking the same thing – here was one song that hadn't been performed in a very long time. The last major event that it was played at would have been the Heisei Banka Final, the bands second big concert. A real turning point for the band at that time and also a big turning point for the guys dress-sense … especially Ruki. The girls hadn't been interested in the GazettE until after that concert and since then they had grown more and more fond of these five talented guys. It was a real surprise to see them now compared to then, and it was barely two years ago. Everything from their style in costume to their development in music had changed dramatically for the better, and the fans continued to love them more and more because of it. But it was still great to hear 'Anata no Tame' again, even if it was already an out-dated song.

Aoi, Reita and Uruha didn't waste time in jumping out from their places to line up along the stage edge again. Reita and Ruki stood either side of his platform while Aoi and Uruha ran out onto the walkways to play for the fans on the balcony. During the first chorus both guitarists ran back to take up their places either side of Ruki's platform so Reita and Ruki could run out onto the walkways too. To fans delight, Ruki began to climb onto the railing while he sang, giving fans the impression he was climbing up to them. But he only stood up on the bars and pointed out over the floor, earning screams of waving hands from the fans below and in the balcony. Even Reita couldn't help showing off too; he stepped up onto the lowest bar on the railing and then jumped backwards off it as he kept playing. Even Kai was having a bit of fun after playing a mellow song like 'Hanakotoba' – 'Anata no Tame' was more fast-paced so he could really let go.

Fans on the balcony near him cheered excitedly before he ran back to the main stage. During all of the choruses fans waved their arms in circular motions in the air and through verses they simply waved hands in random motions to the beat. The girls were actually doing their own thing for a change instead of going with the crowd, only swaying their hands from side-to-side out in front of themselves. They also sang a bit harder than any other songs they'd sung along to that night because they'd missed this particular one, and would probably never hear it Live again. Finally as the last chorus finished and Ruki was just singing the last two lines, Aoi, Reita and Uruha ran back to their places as the music was ending. After the last spoken line by Ruki, Uruha screeched out the last few chords on his guitar and they continued to echo on and on without ceasing … he seemed to be extending that last chord on purpose, as his fingers seemed to be rubbing the strings against the fingerboard.

--

The fans all had their arms stretched up into the air while they clapped, cheered and whistled as the last chord gradually faded out. They had expected the stage to blackout or turn dim again after the song but it stayed lit-up in a flare of bright beams. This meant that something was going to happen; either another speech or the band was about to play another hyped song. The fans watched the stage eagerly, still with the hands waving and clapping in the air, as each of the guys seemed to hunch over strangely. Kai was bent over his drums, head bowed. Reita was in his playing stance, holding his bass at the ready and also with his head bowed. Aoi and Uruha were the same as Reita – in playing stance, guitars ready, heads down. Ruki was leaning down over his platform, one hand placed on it and hanging his head. Neither of them was making a sound; only the fans could be heard cheering.

Even though they were screaming loudly well after the song finished, the guys did not move – the fans began to wonder what was going on and why weren't they moving. The only movement on stage was their hair as strands fluttered around their faces from the breeze of the electric fans at their feet. And the only sound from the stage was the low humming of the bass and guitar amps, but the cheering only drowned it out. Now some of the fans were beginning to quiet down because they couldn't understand why the band was only standing there – even the girls had stopped applauding too because of the same reason. Finally the crowd worked up into a chant and clap – "Gazetto, Gazetto" – in hopes that it would stir the band. Eventually Ruki slowly lifted the mic to his mouth and paused for a moment, though he didn't stand up straight but kept his hunched position. Fans noticed him move and they stopped chanting to wait for him to speak.

"Ano …"

His voice was barely audible in that word; he sounded tired. The audience didn't make a sound.

"… we are almost at an end … it has been a long, busy last few weeks for us …"

Fans clapped appreciatively, to show they loved that night's concert even though the band was tired. Suddenly Ruki stood up straight and jumped up onto his platform, throwing back his head to shout with all his strength into the mic.

"Let's fucking take this out!"

Just as the audience cheered with all of their strength, Kai clashed the cymbals on his drums a few times before Aoi, Reita and Uruha jumped in with the beginning of 'Discharge'. Ruki went off on his own and kept up with the head banging as the fans followed him … it wad a spectacular sight the way his dreadlocks flew with each throw of the head. Even the girls joined in – though the first time they heard 'Discharge' they thought it might have been a bit too heavy for them, especially when there was a lot of head banging involved. But it quickly grew on them, and as the band had always said about the song, it was a great way to unwind and let go. Just as Ruki stopped leading the fans and there was that little break at the start when it was just the music, he stood up tall on his platform and raised one arm over his head. He gave an all might scream to the mic then and anyone sensitive to high-pitched sounds, especially those closest to the stage, instantly felt chills up their spines.

And with that Ruki led the band and the fans into another round of head banging, this time being the circular motion. The girls had to make sure they were all going the same way because there wasn't a lot of space between them – at least they could lean over the railing where there was enough room. After the band finished leading the fans and concentrated on playing Aoi, Reita and Uruha moved away from their corners again where they could stretch out along the stage and Ruki began shouting indistinguishable dialogue into his mic. Of course being no set lyrics to the song 'Discharge' so he could say just about anything he felt like. As he'd mentioned before it started, the last few weeks had been hard for the band, so the whole hall could hear the occasional 'fuck' and 'shit' in there somewhere.

The other guys even pitched in with the chorus – if it can be called that – with shouting 'Follow this shit!' Each time it was shouted, the fans jumped and punched their fists into the air, also screaming at the top of their lungs even though it was barely heard over the noise the GazettE were making. As this song was also coming to an end and the music seemed to slow down, giving fans the impression it was finished, Ruki raised his arm and shouted 'Last one!' before jumping right into the last round of head banging. The music immediately picked up again and the guys followed their singer; even the fans didn't waste time joining in too as they started again. Eventually the song came to its real end and all that was left of it were off-key and scratchy chords coming from Aoi and Uruha's guitars. Reita was roughly plucking random strings on his bass and Kai bashed his cymbals in no particular order just to make a bit more noise. Combined with the screams of cheering from fans, there was so much noise in the hall that it seemed to vibrate around the walls.

The girls couldn't help but clap their hands to their ears to try and block some of the noise out – in looking around they could just see a couple of fans a few rows back who were doing the same. This was of course the first time they'd been so close to the stage so it was possible that had something to do with how loud it was. As they looked back at the stage they could see each of the guys starting to organise themselves to leave the stage – so the main part of the concert was over already? Through the cheers that did not cease, the fans watched each member eagerly. Reita took off his bass and set it in its cradle against the back wall. Aoi and Uruha took off their guitars and fumbled to hang them on their mic-stands before following Reita off left side stage. Ruki jammed the mic back into its stand before striding after them, holding an up-side-down middle finger to the audience. Kai now stood up and walked around his drums to descend the platform, and he too followed the others off stage, not once looking at the audience.

The fans and the girls noticed how exhausted the guys were and they couldn't be blamed, the concert had gone off from the very start. The hard rock songs would get everyone hyped up, then the band would play softer songs to calm everyone down, and then just when you think it couldn't get anymore relaxed, they'd pump out another hard song. So the GazettE had just played 'Discharge' before leaving the stage … that meant it wasn't over yet. Not even Ruki would just walk out without saying a word. There was going to be an encore that was certain, because the stage was still fully lit-up, their instruments hadn't been touched and no staff members had come on to the stage. The band had only been off stage for maybe fifteen seconds and the fans were now beginning to chant 'Encore, Encore!' Megumi and Mika were the first to join in with clapping and chanting, and then Ai, Kira and Kikyo followed. It wouldn't be long before the GazettE would come back out, refreshed and ready to finish the show properly.

--

Once each of the guys had safely made it off stage, with Kai being the last to join them, a staff member then led them away to the side-stage exit. During the short walk back to the dressing room neither of the guys said anything to each other, only keeping to themselves while each got their breath back. A couple of other staff run up behind the band and handed out fresh clean towels to the guys, which they took gratefully with a nod but nothing else. Neither of them just could not speak at that moment, especially Kai – his arms, legs and neck was starting to ache from drumming so hard. Aoi, Reita and Uruha were drenched through and their shirts clung like shrink-wrap to their bodies – Aoi couldn't wait to take off the soaked black singlet he'd been wearing under the silver jacket he'd removed earlier. Ruki's hair had to be fixed before the encore because during 'Discharge' a couple of dreads had come loose and they hung limply framing his face.

Even though the backstage was a little below ground level, as the guys came into their dressing room they could still hear the encore chanting very clearly. It was in sync all the way, which for the guys meant that the fans genuinely wanted an encore. Ruki proceeded to quickly change out of his black jacket and the white shirt followed. Aoi pulled the singlet over his head and lazily dropped it onto a chair that had his silver jacket lying across the back of it. Kai un-buttoned his sleeveless white shirt, threw it over the back of another chair and reached for his 'One Night Stand' gig t-shirt. Reita wriggled out of his white vest and then pulled the patchy grey shirt over his head, but being careful not to mess his expertly styled hair. Uruha was standing in a daze behind another chair, his white vest in both hands, half naked and staring up at the ceiling – he was listening to the chanting.

"Well … at least we know they want an encore. It'd be cruel not to now, seeing we didn't address them before leaving the stage".

He stopped listening and dropped the vest onto the chair as he grabbed his own gig t-shirt.

"You put together a great set-list, Kai. It left the fans not knowing what was going to happen next".

Kai laughed shortly, still out of breath, and nodded a thankyou as he yanked the t-shirt over his head and pushed his arms through the sleeves.

"Now you know why I was switching songs around all the time. I spent hours listening to combinations of songs. In the end I just chose a few from each of our CD's so far, then mixed them around to get the right flow. It has worked out pretty well, I think".

During Uruha and Kai's conversation, another staff member rushed in with a heated pad and made Kai sit down before laying it carefully over the drummer's shoulders before leaving again. Kai's face contorted into a pained expression at the heat but tried to ignore it as he kept talking to Uruha. The guitarist had finally realised he was still half naked and proceeded to put his own gig shirt on. Aoi had already changed and was sitting in the corner of the room, leaning over his knees with elbows resting on them, mentally physicing himself up. Reita was doing the same before he had to sit down and let one of the make-up girls touch-up any smudges in his make-up. Ruki remained relatively quiet as he went about changing into his gig t-shirt with a light black jacket over it. He then set himself into an empty chair so the other make-up girl could fix his hair.

Within a couple of minutes both girls were done, so they left the room to leave the guys alone. With this Ruki turned his chair around so it faced one of the brightly lit mirrors, rested his elbows on the desk and cupped both hands over the top half of his face, covering forehead and eyes, like he was thinking. Reita watched Ruki in the mirror for a moment before he turned and shoved Ruki's shoulder, seeing he was close enough. Kai, Uruha and Aoi looked up when Ruki barked an annoyed 'Hey!' at Reita. The guys had never seen Ruki so mood-swingy before – his stage performance was normal, except the odd occasion he'd do something they hadn't planned like singing to a girl in the front row, and now in the dressing room he was rather jumpy and seemed distracted. Something was definitely different about him. Ruki frowned at Reita as the bassist turned his chair towards him and leaned forward.

"Alright, what is with you tonight? What was all that out there, are you trying to stuff up the show?"

Reita raised an arm and gestured towards the door, meaning the stage. Ruki scoffed and shook his head before slouching in his chair and leering at the mirror – he couldn't be bothered hearing about this now, the show wasn't a flop after all. Reita went on.

"First you give your jacket flower to a random girl outside when we arrive, then you start talking shit about dreamy-love out there, next you suddenly forget to talk until Kai saves your ass …"

Reita starts counting off things on his fingers and Ruki just discretely rolls his eyes – the forgetting to talk is nothing new because he sometimes got nervous when talking to the fans, big deal.

"Then you keep going over to some girl in the front row, so let me guess … it's the girl you gave the flower to? You even got her to approach you, take her hand and bloody sing to her? What the hell are you doing?"

"Alright, alright, alright, shut it!"

Ruki shouted over Reita's increasingly booming voice as he waved a hand in Reita's face. Aoi stood up to address Ruki as well.

"Yeah, I noticed all that too … it was hard not to. I even recognise three of the girls beside her. They were working at the store I went into this afternoon to ask for directions. So when you did all this stuff I almost lost concentration. What brought all this on, are you sick or something?"

"Guys enough! I'm not sick, you know me better than that! I mean, how can you explain things that people do, seriously? Even I don't understand what I'm doing …"

Ruki spun his chair around to face the other guys, shrugging and shaking his head as he said the last sentence.

"It's just … I thought that the girl I gave my flower to, I'd never see her again … fair enough … but when I saw her in the front row with it pinned to her hair … I don't know, I just wanted to communicate with her somehow".

Ruki had a dejected expression as he leaned forward on his knees and cupped both hands over his nose and mouth. Reita, Kai, Uruha and Aoi looked around at each other, speechless … so this whole thing was about a single fan who had caught their singers attention, so he'd been trying to communicate with her all night in front of the whole hall? Now they really _did_ think he was loosing it. Reita leant forward on his knees too.

"Man … what are you doing that for? No offence, but when I got close enough to see her, she looks about twelve … what are the fans going to thi-"

"Oh look, don't give me that crap, I know damn well what I'm doing! And before you interrupt me again, I know she's not a minor, so why should I care what our fans think? Come on, I love our fans deeply but my mind is made up, Rei …"

"…uh, made up on what?"

Reita asked nervously.

"I want to meet her. Tonight at the after party".

It was then that Kai stepped in, wincing a little from the aches as he stood up and looked anxious at Ruki.

"Wait Ruki, you can't just invite fans backstage, it doesn't work like that! We've never invited fans backstage before, and for good reason. And how are you going to explain this girl showing up to the after party?! You won't pull this off, our manager will kill y-"

"Come on, Kai, please trust me on this! I have to meet her, and if I don't do it tonight then I will never get this chance again … Look, this is all my idea anyway, so if our manager asks, just tell him the truth".

"Truth about what?"

A familiar voice came from the door to their dressing room. The guys turned to see their manager standing against the doorframe. He was not normally a fashionable man but tonight he was in black dress pants, white business shirt, short black hair combed back with gel and thin-framed glasses. They all froze for a fraction of a second before Kai smiled, trying to look and sound convincing as he thought of the first thing that came to mind.

"That we're all dying to get back out on stage".

"That's what I like to hear, because I was just coming in to see if you're ready. Staff, stage and fans are waiting for you so lets get going".

And with that he smiled with a nod before backing out of the room and walking off down the hall. All of the guys seemed to hold their breath the whole time he was there … and it felt likes a lifetime. Kai seemed to relax a little as he sighed silently and looked at the floor before glancing around to his band mates – they all thought he'd heard their conversation. Then Kai and Ruki locked gazes, coming to a silent understanding that Ruki would be doing _all_ the explaining if he managed to bring this girl backstage. Finally, Ruki stood up and he walked out followed by Uruha, Kai, Aoi and Reita. Again neither of them spoke as they walked once more up the hallway to reach the side-stage door where a staff member let them through, also taking the heated pad from Kai. The stage was still partially lit since they left, and the fans were still chanting for an encore.

From where the guys were standing behind the thick black curtain again, they could just hear a loop track of 'The End' playing again. Though some fans still chanted 'Encore, encore', others could be heard shouting in time with the music – it was in surprising unison; an audience much more in-tune with the music than any other audience before. Aoi, Reita and Uruha, who were behind Ruki and Kai, were focusing on punching out the last three songs to make the ending show a good one. Kai was also trying to focus but he was still anxious about what Ruki wanted to do and _how_ he was going to do it. Ruki already had an idea on how to get his mystery girl backstage but it'd require the help of a staff member after the concert ended … then he remembered that four other friends appeared to be with her and suddenly he began to feel nervous. How was he going to get five girls backstage now?

* * *

**NOTES:**  
1) Ruki sings to Mika: As we all know, he doesn't really do this kind of thing but it was essential to the story  
2) 'Discharge': I really like this track, because even though it's just making alot of noise, I really think this is the one song that everyone can relate to (the GazettE and fans alike). Everyone has bad days, and this is the perfect song to vent frustration as Uruha once said. And seeing there are no real lyrics to it, Discharge just focuses on the music. This is only my opinion of course  
3) Ruki's mood-swings: I'm sure most of us have seen him looking cranky sometimes (even the other guys) and it just goes to show they're all human too. Personally I think the guys look hot in photoshoots when they look moody, but I still like to see them all smiling  
4) Bringing fans backstage: Again we all know the guys don't do this but for the sake of the story I did it this way

Please read & review :-)


	7. Chapter 07

**WARNINGS:** -none-

* * *

The fans waited patiently for the band to come back on stage, and the five girls in front row were trying their best to do the same. But with little activity on stage and 'The End' playing on loop over the loud speakers it was hard not to feel fidgety – they wanted to see their favourite guys. They tried to keep in time with the clapping and chanting but every so often a staff member would run up onto the stage to do something, and then they'd fall out of time with the crowd. Even some fans fell out of time because they thought the band were starting to come back, only to realise it was only the staff working. A good ten or fifteen minutes had passed since the guys had left, so it just had to be soon they thought … until a spotlight shone over to the left-side stage and 'The End' faded a little – fans cheered because they knew it was time.

Kai was the first to walk out into the spotlight, having to shield his eyes for a moment to adjust to the glare. The audience, especially Kai-fans and Megumi, pipped up and screamed out his name and he smiled brightly, waving to them as he walked further onto the stage. As he now climbed up onto his platform to get behind the drums again, Reita came out next in a stride with one hand to his forehead in a salute. As Kira and other Reita-fans screamed his name, he raised both fists into the air and appeared to growl, thought it couldn't be heard because of the cheering. Reita went back to his bass just as Aoi and Uruha came on – Aoi had an arm around Uruha's waist and Uruha had his arm around Aoi's shoulders. Ai and Kikyo smiled brightly as they cheered along with other Aoi and Uruha-fans.

After the two waved and made faces at the laughing crowd, Uruha left Aoi beside his guitar and sauntered over to his side of the stage. And last but not least, Ruki came striding onto the stage with an air of purpose, holding a Rock-on signal up to the audience and wearing that same smug look on his face that showed everyone his own arrogance towards his talent. But no one, especially not Ruki-fans or Mika, were complaining because they knew he was a talented singer and he had every right to be self-centred about it. The fans all jumped up and down excitedly and screamed louder because they could now see all five gorgeous men back on stage again, ready to complete the concert. Ruki grabbed the mic from its stand that hadn't moved since he left, and placed one foot up on his platform to address the audience.

"Oh yeah!"

Fans screamed and waved their hands in the air.

"Oh yeah, Yoshiatsu!"

They screamed louder and again waved their hands in the air.

"Ah … it's been great performing here tonight. And for being the first event to go on here as a new venue, I'd say we've done a good job, ne?"

The whole audience clapped and some whistled. Kai smiled and clapped as well, a pair of drumsticks already between his fingers, Reita nodded in agreement as his bass swayed from his shoulder, Aoi placed his hands on his hips and smiled, his guitar swinging back and forth in front of him, and Uruha crossed his arms as he smiled at the ground, his guitar also swinging a little on his shoulder. Ruki wiped his sweatband over his mouth before continuing – he'd only been on a couple of minutes and the heat was already setting in.

"Ah … seeing all of you out there has really made us privileged to be a part of the music industry. Your support has really given us motivation over these long years …"

He bowed slightly as the fans clapped again before he stood up tall on his platform and raised his fist.

"Let's finish this off, you've been waiting long enough! Get up, Linda!"

At the start of 'Linda' Aoi and Uruha took up the task of getting the audience to begin with the clapping sequence, to which they followed allowing in unison. Ruki stepped backwards off his platform and just bopped his head along to the beat of the clapping; Reita was doing the same as he too started clapping along with everyone. Then with the second round of clapping, Kai pitched in with beating his drums in time to the audience. And finally it was Ruki's turn to start singing the opening verse as he placed a foot on top of his platform and raised a hand to the jumping audience. Before the end of the opening verse, Aoi and Uruha moved inward a bit from their corners as suddenly they, along with Reita and Ruki, got into jumping around the stage like they did every time 'Linda' was performed. Even Kai got to head-bang a little bit, as he was quite limited in doing. And finally it came to 'Pinky Heaven or Bloody Hell' and 'Candy Voice & Devil's Smile'; Ruki and Reita did their part of alternating vocals, which left Aoi and Uruha to prance along the walkways.

For most of the song Aoi and Uruha were walking up and down the walkways, switching sides to do the same again, or jumping around the main stage with Ruki and Reita. Ruki didn't move away too much from his platform while he sang, but Reita did leave his place to join the singer. The audience swayed their hands from side-to-side during the choruses and jumped during the verses – 'Linda' certainly demanded a lot of energy from all involved; probably why the band always played this song during Live concerts. Finally as the song was coming to an end, Aoi, Uruha, Reita and Ruki once again jumped around the stage while the audience head-banged along with them. Aoi and Uruha retreated back to their corners and finished off the clapping sequence with help from Kai's drumming. At the very end, Ruki shouted at the top of his lungs without the mic, and Aoi, Reita, Kai and Uruha made a bit more noise on their instruments to finish off with a bang to the delight of hundreds of screaming fans.

--

The girl's didn't want 'Linda' to end – it was such an energetic song and they loved clapping along with the rest of the audience. Also it seemed the guys were giving off a lot more energy since their break in between the main concert and the encore. The fans even noticed the new design of their 'One Night Stand' t-shirts – it was exactly like the image that was on the huge banner behind Kai but the words 'One Night Stand' were printed on the back. The shirt itself was of course black, and the image and writing was in white and silver tones. After just one song into the encore, the guy's faces were already covered in sweat, but at least they were all in short-sleeves shirts instead of full costume. But Mika couldn't understand how Ruki could wear a black jacket over his shirt, when he'd be somewhat more comfortable without it.

The stage remained lit-up after the song for a change so the fans could keep an eye on what the guys were doing before the next song. Kai had set his drumsticks down so he could fiddle with his earpiece because it had come close to falling out during head banging. Reita was having his bass swapped over – from a brown wood surface to black with white panel on the front. Aoi quickly but gently dabbed a towel over his face so his touched-up make-up wasn't ruined. Uruha was in the middle of adjusting the sound dials on his guitar. Ruki grabbed his water bottle that sat on Kai's platform as usual so he could squirt a stream of water into his mouth. He swallowed it and then dropped his head to squirt more water over it. Some fans screams and whistled at his little stunt as he dropped the bottle and went back to his platform. He jumped up there and shook his head so water sprayed everywhere, again making fans scream. He then raised his arm to signal the others as he started to sing 'Ray'.

The fans were so excited to be hearing 'Ray again. It seemed that the whole concert was like a flashback through all the songs they'd written so far, starting from newest and going back through the oldest. A few of the old songs they didn't even perform anymore so it was nostalgia to hear them again - with the exception of 'Linda', which was played all the time. While Ruki sang 'If these eyes' the fans held both hands to their eyes and then stretched their arms out in front in one smooth motion. When he sang 'didn't know the ray' they slowly swayed their arms from side-to-side above their heads. And there was no one person in the audience that wasn't singing along with Ruki – even Kai did a bit of back-up singing when Ruki sang 'Sakende'. Both Mika and Megumi smiled at this because their voices moulded perfectly together.

Kira kept watching Reita – she never got sick of marvelling at how fast his fingers moved along the fingerboard of his bass. Ai noticed how much emotion Aoi put into his playing during 'Ray' and she could tell how sensitive he was, no matter how much people thought he sometimes looked cranky. Kikyo also loved the emotion in Uruha's playing too – she admired his guitar skills and really hoped to be as good as him one day. Megumi could just see the calm expression on Kai's face as he played – she had a feeling he welcomed the gentle song after performing 'Linda' because it gave him a chance to relax. And Mika as usual kept her eyes on Ruki for the whole song. Maybe it was just the fact he'd sung to her a couple of times but she really came to like him even more … sometimes rough and in your face, other times caring and sensitive.

As the song was finishing, Ruki repeated 'Hikari sasu hou e' a couple of times before replacing the mic in it's stand and glancing out over the audience, tapping his foot absentmindedly to the ending music. His voice was beginning to give way a little as he could feel the dryness in his throat. Just one more song, and it would be one of very few times he couldn't wait to have some of the gargling medicine …that stuff tasted awful. The music faded out nicely and the stage unfortunately faded out to black again. With all of these stage blackouts the fans might have thought the technicians were having electrical problems, but they knew it was only part of the show. Sadly they knew it was almost the end of the concert with likely only one or two songs left before they had to leave. The girls were feeling hyped from seeing a great show but also downhearted because it was over so soon … even Mika couldn't help but feel a lump rise in her throat at the thought of never being so close to Ruki again.

Ai, Kikyo, Mika, Megumi and Kira linked their arms as they awaited the inevitable end to the concert – another successful show by the GazettE they would always remember. And they were sure to be talking about it for some time, especially about Ruki and Mika. Then once the hype of this concert had blown over, talks would turn to the bands 'Decomposition Beauty' Tour and who would try to see the most Live shows on the Tour. Like the girls joked about one time – they would try to follow the band to every Live house they stopped at, but of course that couldn't be done without leaving a gapping hole in their bank accounts just with travelling. So thankfully it stayed as a joke. Regardless, that night's concert had been long awaited and a greatly enjoyed, and they had even made brief friends of Mariko and Yuki. Brief because they were likely not to see each other again, so quick good-byes were said in advance before the final performance.

--

During the last stage blackout, the guys pulled themselves together for the last song of the night. Kai was again fiddling with his earpiece but only because it was starting to hurt the inside of his ear – it was obviously sitting wrong. Reita took a mouthful of water from his own water bottle that sat behind him against the wall – he couldn't wait to have a drink at the after party. Aoi had his guitar quickly swapped over before dabbing a clean towel over his forehead – he was relieved that he was at least wearing a t-shirt instead of long sleeves. Uruha was taking a moment to cool down in front of his electric fan – it may be the start of winter but it certainly didn't feel like it under those lights. Ruki was again gripping the mic with both hands on it's stand, his head hung between his arms as he swallowed a few times – that irritation in his throat was starting to get worse. But when he thought he was ready to keep singing, he lifted his head and spoke softly to the mic – 'We are best friends'. The audience cheered as the stage lit-up and Kai began the opening to 'Best Friends'.

What a perfect song to finish the concert, just like they had done for their first one-man 'Heisei Banka' Final. About ten seconds into the song when the tempo of the music changed slightly, the fans jumped and screamed in surprise – spurts of silver streamers shot out of what must have been barrels that were cleverly hidden along the edge of the stage. The spurts were powerful enough to reach the very back of the floor so every fan got at least a small piece of the streamers. Even some of the lengths reached the balcony, so some of the fans up there caught them. The girls managed to catch a rather long piece and ripped it up into five equal lengths. Even Mariko and Yuki had their own streamers and had wrapped the pieces around their wrists. When they had got themselves organised again the girls turned their attention back to the stage to jump and clapping their hands along to the music.

When Ruki came to sing the middle verse 'Kore kara aruku' the fans stopped jumping and only waved their arms side-to-side above their heads. Aoi, Reita, Ruki and Uruha had one last chance to run out along the walkways, so they did just that. Aoi and Uruha entertained the balcony fans for half of the song, dancing as they played and the fans waved their streamer-covered hands at them excitedly. Ai and Kikyo laughed when they noticed the two guitarists doing silly dances as they played. And then as they were running back to the main stage, Reita and Ruki took their places as they too ran out onto the walkways to reach the balcony. Kira pouted because Reita was up the far end, but she did smile when he too danced silly for the fans. Mika broke into giggles and covered her mouth when she noticed Ruki doing the same. Megumi again felt sorry for Kai because he couldn't move but he was having is own fun by visibly laughing at the other guys. The girls could tell that they were glad it was almost over.

Towards the end of the song and it was just the last two verses, Ruki sang the second last on his own and then Aoi, Uruha, Reita and Kai joined him in singing the last verse. Seeing this, the fans decided to join too and they sang along as loud as they could, waving their arms in wide sweeps over their heads. The audience was a sea of glittering silver as the streamers in their hands shone in the light from the stage – it was almost like there were rippling waves through the hall. As the music was finally coming to an end for the last time that night, Aoi, Uruha and Reita intentionally extended the last chords of the song so it reverberated around the walls, and Kai bashed a few more times on his drums and cymbals. Then Kai counted four slow beats on the tom-tom between his knees before Ruki, Aoi, Uruha and Reita jumped as they punched out the last notes of music.

The guitars and bass continued to echo through the loud speakers as the fans erupted into cheering, whistling, screaming and clapping. Kai threw his drumsticks up into the air in excitement as he laughed and clapped along with the fans. Reita roughly pulled the bass strap over his head and raised a fist to the cheering crowd as the bass swung gently at his side. Aoi and Uruha also pulled their guitar straps over their heads and set the instruments carefully on their cradles. They both lazily walked to the centre of the stage and threw their arms around each other as excited squeals echoed over the audience. Even Reita dropped his bass carelessly and ran over to jump on them. Ruki just stared out into the audience, despite being half blinded by the glare of the spotlights, and he let the applause consume him as he sighed deeply, closed his eyes and collapse behind his platform with his arms and head resting on it.

Kai came down off his platform now, holding a towel against his cheek and he joined in the group hug with Aoi, Reita and Uruha. The screaming and clapping didn't die down, as the guys appeared to be congratulating each other while in their hug. The girls were too busy smiling at them except Mika – she was clapping but watching Ruki nervously … he wasn't getting up. But then she noticed Kai pull away from the group, drape the towel over his shoulder and he went over to get behind Ruki. There he put both hands on the singers shoulder and bent over him to speak in his ear – Mika thought Kai was asking if he was okay. Ruki appeared to nod slightly, his head still resting on the platform; Kai seemed to say something else to him before curling his arms around Ruki's chest and heaving him up off the floor. Fans whistled and cheered louder as Ruki got his balance and then turned to wrap his arms around Kai's body, even burying his face in the drummers chest.

The sound of 'aww' seemed to echo through the crowd now, as Kai laughed and hugged Ruki back. But no sooner had that happened but Aoi, Reita and Uruha jumped on them for another group hug. The fans laughed and continued to applaud the band – they could really see how much the guys cared about each other; like brothers. So it was heart-warming to see all of them looking so close even after a long and energy sapping concert. Finally they all let go of each other and turned to the audience to bow to them in appreciation. Kai and Aoi stood to Ruki's left and Uruha and Reita to his right as they all watched and waited for the right time to address the fans. But even after somewhere around five minutes of applause, Ruki had a feeling they weren't going to stop, so he held the mic up to his mouth and the fans instantly quieted down.

"Ah … ano … it seems 'One Night Stand' has come to an end. I just wish … we could have given you more pleasure but … we're very tired".

He laughed briefly as most of the audience, probably girls, screamed and called out his name. Kai, Aoi, Uruha and Reita smiled around to each other and then turned back to the audience.

"Saa … just having the fan-club only Live tonight … it really felt like all of our fans were here … just shows how much we've worn each other down … but we would do it all again".

Ruki lowered the mic and scratched his nose as the audience clapped, but they stopped when Ruki lifted the mic again.

"I guess … the next time you see us around will be our 'Decomposition Beauty' Tour … I hope we can see all of you back and begging for more …"

He pointed out over the crowd and attracted excited waves from them. The other guys clapped as he continued.

"Arigatou … for coming to see us tonight … thankyou for believing in us … Arigatou".

Ruki bowed and one-by-one the other guys did the same, and once again more applause rang out over the hall. Then as they all stood up straight, they all held hands and the fans copied. The girls smiled at each other and quickly gripped hands before readying themselves for the final jump. When Ruki felt that all of the fans were ready he shouted 'Se no' without his mic and the band and fans all jumped together. As soon as they landed the guys broke apart and waved one last time, even blowing kisses. However Kai ran back to the edge of his platform and grabbed a small pile of his drumsticks to throw to the fans. As he ran back to the edge of the stage, he picked up one stick at a time and threw them at random spots in the crowd. After throwing about four pairs to the fans on the floor, he ran out onto the right-side walkway, threw a couple to the fans there, then darted back the other way to reach the left-side walkway, and he threw one but kissed the last one before throwing it.

A few fans scrambled to reach that one in particular just because it was the only one he'd kissed – the girls noticed a very hysterical girl in glamour-punk clothes had caught it. Megumi was a bit sad that she hadn't actually caught any but she didn't mind – just seeing him smile was enough. The drummer ran back to his band mates and finally they all began to walk off stage for the last time that night, waving as they went and the fans broke into applauding loudly again. With Kai being the last one off stage, after that the glary lights dimmed just as the regular lighting came back on – the stage looked eerily dark while the rest of the hall was lit-up. The girls looked around behind them and noticed a lot of fans hugging each other and chattering excitedly, while others were slowly making there way out of their seats and heading towards the exit – even Yuki and Mariko had left already. The girls knew they had no chance to getting out yet, so they decided to wait until the crowd had cleared a bit. To pass the time they stood and talked among themselves about the concert. Mika sighed.

"Oh I can't believe it's over already … I just wish we could repeat this night over and over again".

She said as she stood up on her toes to have another good look at the stage before dropping again and then reached over to slap Kira lightly in the forearm.

"But without your loud screaming in our ears, Kira! You were louder than the rest of the audience".

"Gomen, gomen, I'm just so happy! Best concert ever! They're so cool! We're really lucky to have known about them … otherwise we probably wouldn't have been here tonight! And didn't Reita look so hot! I love his 'Regret' outfit!"

Ai, Kikyo, Mika and Megumi laughed at her as she giggled dreamily from remembering Reita on stage not too long ago. Then Ai poked Mika's side a couple of times, making her squirm with giggles.

"Well we all know Mika loved the show, she certainly got a lot of attention from Ruki. It's a shame he didn't kiss her hand though …"

Ai said the last part in a mocking thoughtful tone and Mika spun around to try and hit her in the arm but Ai dodged it with a laugh. The other girls laughed at Mika too before Ai continued.

"I just wish Aoi could have come closer to our side of the stage more often … but Kikyo, I'm sure you were enjoying the view from your spot?"

"Duh, who wouldn't enjoy watching Uruha from this close to the front of the stage? It felt like I was this far away from him!"

Kikyo held up her hands to show a distance of about a foot, and the girls laughed at her. Then she dropped her hands and glancing down to make sure her bag and merchandise was still there, then looking back towards the exit to see that almost three-quarters of the hall was empty of fans.

"Anyway … I guess we'd better gather our stuff. The place is almost empty so we won't have to fight our way out. And anyway, I doubt we're allowed to stick around and help the staff clean up …"

The girls made disappointed sounds as they too ducked down to pick up their bags – last thing they wanted to do was leave. Lastly Megumi spoke.

"Well I think it was just great all around to see another concert from the GazettE. And lucky for us we're part of the Fan Club. We're fans with extra privileges, wouldn't you agree? And by that I mean Mika gets a little bit of fan-service right in front of her".

Ai, Kira and Kikyo made 'ooo' sounds at what Megumi said and Mika felt her face growing hot, not only for remembering the moment Ruki sang to her but also from all the teasing her friends were dishing out on her. She tried to defend herself by making faces at her friends in turn, but they only laughed and poked at her sides even more. Meanwhile, little did the girls know that just on the side-stage the band had left, Ruki was peering around the thick heavy curtain that separated the stage from the exit door. He was in luck; his mystery girl hadn't left yet. Ruki glanced out onto the stage and watched the staff as they began to clean up the stage. If he timed it correctly he'd be able to grab one of them while they carried equipment off to be stored backstage. Then just as a staff member was coming off stage carrying Aoi and Reita's instruments, Ruki grabbed the guy's arm. The guy, startled, almost dropped the guitar and bass as he blinked at Ruki.

"Oh Ruki-san … is there a problem?"

"No, but I need you to do something for me, Hiro. I can't do it myself because it's too risky … onegai?"

Hiro blinked again as Ruki looked from him to the stage and he swallowed.

"Well, I guess so but-"

"Thankyou. Now you see that girl in the front row, left side of the stage? She has frizzy pigtails and a flower in her hair … four other girls are with her".

Ruki let go of Hiro's arm and pointed out to the where he was asking. Hiro looked to where he was pointing and saw the only five girls left in the front row. He nodded slowly.

"I need you to go and get them. Can you bring them backstage, to that big function room where the after party is being held? But make sure they don't draw attention to it, other fans might overhear … don't worry, I know what I'm asking is making you nervous, but I'm taking responsibility for all this".

Ruki had to reassure the guy because the second he'd asked Hiro to fetch the girls, he's face appeared to turn white with panic. His first worry had been the yelling he'd get from the band's manager, but having been reassured by Ruki it was all his idea, Hiro swallowed and gave a slightly shaky nod. Ruki felt a sigh come out of his chest as Hiro quickly passed on the guitar and bass to another staff member before glancing once more at Ruki and then walking back out onto the stage, this time heading towards the front edge. Ruki again looked out onto the floor and noticed that about eighty percent of the fans had gone, and none appeared to be hanging around near the stage, so it was unlikely any would overhear anything. He then noticed Hiro slid off the edge of the stage and approach the five girls, and decided to retreat to the change-rooms to freshen up – he was confident the girls would agree to follow, but did hope they didn't say no.

"Ah … sumi masen … forgive me for interrupting …"

The girls stopped goofing off with teasing Mika to look at a nervous looking guy wearing the GazettE's gig t-shirt. They looked at each other curiously – why had a staff member approached them? Had they done something wrong, or was he telling them to hurry and leave? And the fact he looked very nervous as he glanced around them, like he was making sure no one was watching … what did he want?

"Uh … have we done something?"

Ai asked slowly, looking a bit anxious as she looked at her friends. The guy waved his hands.

"Oh … no, no, you haven't done anything wrong. Its just … Ruki-san … has asked for all of you personally to come back stage. You've all been invited to the after party … but please keep quiet! We don't normally do this, I'm sure you understand".

Just as the guy had said they were invited by Ruki himself, they're faces seemed to light up with bright smiles, but the second he'd told them to keep quiet, they immediately relaxed and pretended everything was normal. As long as they were going to meet the band, they weren't about to do anything to jeopardise that chance – so that meant straight faces all-round.

"So, will all of you be willing to follow me back stage?"

The guy didn't need to ask twice because the girls nodded vigorously, not daring to speak in case he changed his mind and said they couldn't come. Then he stepped back from the railing and gestured for the girls to follow him. One-by-one, like it might help to make them look less suspicious, the girls ducked under the railing, bags in hand, and walked casually behind the staff member as they passed the front of the stage. With every single step they took, butterflies began to grow in their stomachs, as they were now getting closer and closer to meeting the band they'd come to worship that night. Ai was feeling on cloud nine because she would meet Aoi for the second time. Even Megumi couldn't believe she'd get to meet Kai as well as Aoi again. And Kira too … getting to meet Reita, and Aoi twice. But for Kikyo, she was having a hard time suppressing a big smile at the thought of seeing Uruha up close. And Mika … for what felt like the millionth time that night, she would be meeting Ruki … only this time, to actually speak to him.

Before they knew it, the staff member had led them all the way past the stage to the left and around the edge of the walkway to a door that was cleverly hidden behind it. In passing through it, they had to ascend a short flight of stairs that led up onto the side-stage where the girls realised the band must have left through. The area was quite dark and they had no idea how the guys were able to see with that thick black curtain between there and the stage. The guy gestured again for them to follow as he headed for the exit, pushing one of the doors open to allowing them to walk past him. The girl's eyes were dazzled by the sudden bright light of a long hallway as it curved gradually to the right, most likely leading in a big semi-circle of rooms that made up the back stage area. They quickly came out of their daze when the guy once again asked they follow him.

Then began a long trek through this brightly lit hall with cream-colored walls and polished concrete floors, with equipment crates lined up along the walls on both sides. At intervals, there were doors leading off into separate rooms with more equipment, one or two rooms had mirrors on the back wall with blazing lights around them – the girls figured were make-up and change rooms. Other rooms looked to be used to meetings and eating areas and even storage for staff members things. But strangely none of the rooms appeared to have anyone in them, and as a result hadn't be stopped and asked why they, as fans, were wandering around backstage … until they remembered there was an after party going on. So it was likely everyone involved with the show that night would currently be knocking back a few drinks and congratulating each other on another successful show.

"Um … sumi masen … sir? Can I ask you something?"

Mika suddenly asked gently, running forward a little to walk beside the guy. He looked at her and smiled.

"Oh don't call me sir, I'm not that old. You can call me Hiro … and what did you want to know?"

Ai, Megumi, Kikyo and Kira looked at each other as they walked behind Hiro and Mika – they wondered what she was going to ask the guy.

"Um … I was wondering … did Ruki-san really ask for all of us?"

"He did … in fact he pulled me aside while I was helping pack up the stage and pointed you out directly. He asked for 'the girl with frizzy pigtails and a flower in her hair …'"

Hiro glanced down at Mika and at the flower in her hair before briefly looking over his shoulder at the girls.

"… 'and four other girls who were with her'. He was very specific and seemed to have a purpose".

Mika looked surprised back at the others and they returned the look – so they were right, Ruki had been focused on Mika all night, ever since her getting that flower. They were brought out of their thoughts when Hiro spoke up again.

"I don't know what this is all about but he was adamant that I come and get you. I don't know what he would have expected me to do if you disagreed to come because he never told me … not that any fans would pass up the chance to meet these guys …"

Hiro gave a little laugh and the girls laughed a little too. He then looked at Mika.

"But anyway, because he asked for you in particular I'm guessing he knew you would come anyway … ah, we're here!"

Suddenly Hiro came to a stop outside another double-door with loud talking and laughing coming from inside, also the sound of clinking glasses and plates. It sounded like there was a lot of people in there and the girls began to feel nervous – what was going to happen when they suddenly appear at the party, only invited because Ruki had called for them. Hiro turned to the girls.

"I need you to please wait here while I go in and tell Ruki-san that you're here …"

And before they could properly respond, he'd opened one of the doors, and for a moment the talking and laughing became louder, until he'd retreated inside and the door shut tight again. Because Mika had been standing next to Hiro, she got to see a quick glimpse of the inside – the room was full of men, women, all in that night's gig t-shirt, standing around talking or sitting down to eat. It suddenly hit the girls how unbelievably lucky they were, as right now other fans that had come tonight were now leaving the venue, here they were about to meet the GazettE … as long as they weren't kicked out before then. Having seen how busy it looked inside, they were feeling a bit sceptical about getting in without being stopped just inside the door. They just hoped Ruki would have some miraculous idea that would allow them to stay.

* * *

**NOTES:**  
1) Mariko & Yuki: I once refered to these characters as 'concert friends' because they won't appear in the story again. They were only there as support characters  
2) Band group hug: I'm sure everyone has seen how emotionally and physically exhausted these guys look after a big concert and it makes me sad to see all of them looking like this. Their concerts are getting bigger and longer so it's clear they're growing in popularity ... but I just hope it doesn't wear them out too soon  
3) Going back stage: The girls sure did get backstage pretty easy lol well I made it so that all the staff were at the after party already

Please read & review :-)


	8. Chapter 08

**WARNINGS:** over-flirting, drunken behaviour

* * *

Meanwhile, inside the function room, the 'One Night Stand' after party was in full swing. In a matter of seconds, dozens of bottles of champagne and beer were cracked open and glasses spread around to every single member of staff that had been involved with the concert. The room was alive with chattering people, seated on tables with food and drinks, or standing in little groups with plates and drinks in their hands. They were profusely congratulating each other on how well the show went, or how good a job the lighting crew performed, or how alert the sound techs were with keeping equipment working and helping to change over instruments when needed. A table located against the far wall that faced the party, currently only the band were seated in a row on one side of the it, was where random staff members walked over to congratulate and shake hands with the guys on their best performance yet.

The guys accepted the praise appreciatively, feeling a lot more comfortable and sociable since they'd come off stage. It was because they had gone straight back to their dressing room after saying goodbyes to the fans, that they were able to freshen up, fix make-up again and look a bit more presentable rather than dripping with sweat. In exchange for their costumes, they had changed back to the clothes they'd arrived in, and they're spirits were instantly lifted as a result. Now they just relaxed and enjoyed the food and drink that was provided because they felt they deserved it. Aoi was on the far left end with his Asahi beer and was teasing Kai on his right who was content with an apple juice. Reita in the middle was also guzzling a bottle of Asahi and seemed to be getting just a little drunk. Ruki beside him cradled a glass of sake in one hand and busied himself with talking to Uruha who had his best friend, a Chandon champagne. Aoi, who was getting sick of teasing Kai about his drink choice, leaned forward to see past Kai and Reita.

"Hey Ruki, what took you so long getting back to the dressing room? You disappeared behind us suddenly, and then you didn't say anything when you finally did show up. Where were you? Does it have something to do with that girl in the audience?"

Reita made an annoyed sound and threw his hand in the air in an obviously slowly-getting-drunk manner.

"Oh we're not on about that again are we? That does it, he must be sick, he's never been this hung-up on one random girl in the audience. Again I ask, what is with you, Ruki? Before the concert you were normal … enough … then as the concert goes along you get weirder and weirder-er".

At first Reita appeared to be talking to the air in front of him, but upon asking Ruki what was wrong with him, he looked at the singer and swayed in his direction. Ruki thought he was going to fall on top of him, but the bass player managed to keep his balance despite being drunk. The singer just crossed his arms on the table while holding his glass ready to drink as he listened to what Reita said – did he just say 'weirder-er'?

"Reita, put that bottle down before you hurt yourself. And I haven't been acting weird; I just came to a sudden realisation … I want to find out what it is about her that I couldn't stop looking at her all night. As I said, I had no idea she'd be in the front row; that means something … so I went ahead and invited her and her friends to our party. One of our staff should be bringing them right now".

Aoi, Kai, Reita and Uruha just stared at their lead singer for a second as he casually sipped from his glass. Uruha was the one to break the stunned silence.

"You did what now? I thought you were only joking, or at least considering more realistic ways of meeting this girl … fans aren't allowed to be brought backstage, remember? And even if they _were_ invited, how do you know they will even come? And what if our other fans find out? They'll expect to be invited backstage all the time then".

"Oh give it a rest, you weren't worried when I walked into that convenience store this afternoon, so how is this any different?"

Aoi cut in, leaning forward to look at Uruha, who now looked half anxious and half defeated as Aoi went on.

"I doubt the girls would leave once they were told they're invited to meet us face-to-face, otherwise they wouldn't have been here tonight … plus three of the girls I have met briefly already, so I say lets just see how this goes. Besides we can let Ruki flirt with his new girlfriend, and if it turns bad, _then_ we'll say 'we told you so' …"

Ruki just looked daggers at Aoi and the older guitarist just raised both eyebrows, much as to say 'oops', before sitting back to hide behind Kai. Reita and Uruha laughed at Aoi and Kai just shook his head at him. Really they had mixed feelings about what Ruki was doing – not only risking fans finding out, but also making their manager upset. But the guys didn't have long to dwell on such concerns because suddenly Hiro, who Ruki had asked to bring the girls to the party, came through the main door and glanced around the function room. He spotted the band at their table and he briskly walked through the crowd of people to speak to Ruki. A few people watched the guy curiously, wondering why he was rushing but quickly forgot about it as they kept chatting. The guys wondered where their last minute guests were, but realised they must have been told to wait outside. Hiro leaned over the table to speak quietly to him.

"Ruki-san … you requested the five girls from the front row, are they to join you at your table?"

Ruki listened to Hiro and then looked down at the opposite edge of the table – five empty chairs were there, but not on purpose. Finally he nodded.

"Yes I want them to sit with us, we'll take responsibility for them".

Aoi, Kai, Reita and Uruha seemed to be on the same wavelength, because at hearing this they all looked at each other around Ruki – _we'll_ take responsibility? they thought. Hiro nodded a response before turning back and just as briskly walking back the way he came. Ruki went back to casually sipping his sake as he watched Hiro, following him all the way to the door, waiting in anticipation to see his girl. In the meantime, his band mates gathered in around him to speak in hushed voices. Uruha spoke first.

"_We'll_ take responsibility? Don't forget Ruki, this was all your idea. They are welcome to sit with us, but once our manager sees what's going on, you'll be doing the explaining".

Ruki didn't respond so Kai took this chance.

"Well, technically … they _are_ our responsibility because they will be sitting with us, but you don't know, Uruha … this is the first time we've had fans backstage to greet us, it might actually be fun".

At this Ruki looked up at Kai was an expression of surprise, at hearing Kai say it could turn out all right, and also gratitude, for letting him even go ahead with his crazy idea. Kai gave a slight smile and sat back as he sipped his drink, and Aoi, Reita and Uruha sat back too but felt dumbfounded – before, Kai had been almost against letting Ruki invite fans to meet them, but now he was okay with it … was he really only drinking apple juice? It was then all the guys turned their attention back to the main door and they could see Hiro holding the door open and gesturing. Then, one-by-one, five surprisingly calm looking girls walked in and stood quietly together in a group, looking around curiously. Then Hiro walked around them and gestured for them to follow him, which they did without having to be asked again. The guys watched, holding their breath, as the group weaved among people dotted around the room, getting occasional glances from them before they once again returned to their talking.

The guys could not believe how blasé the staff were at noticing five strangers just walking casually through the crowded room and not drawing attention to it. Then it could be that perhaps being led by a fellow staff member made them believe that the girls were meant to be there. Ruki was most in shock … he didn't think it could have been that easy, but he knew their manager wouldn't be fooled, so Ruki would have to deal with him soon enough. As the girls got closer, they appeared to become increasingly giddy because their faces wouldn't stop grinning. When Hiro and the girls finally got to the table, he bowed and gestured for them to stay with the band and he quickly left. Ruki and Mika locked eyes immediately and her head lowered in a shy manor as her face began to feel hot. Aoi, Reita and Uruha were polite and smiled with a bow of the head – Ai, Kira and Kikyo bowed too and they tried to say hello but they're voices were gone. Kai however stood up and bowed to them even more politely with a smile and Megumi's heart skipped a beat.

"Welcome! It looks like you were able to get here without too much trouble, so please sit!"

No sooner had Kai gestured with both hands to the chairs in front of him, the girls spread out to get the seat they wanted – which of course meant being able to sit across from their favourite guy. Still feeling very nervous and without voice, they quickly sat down, each with their bags set underneath their chairs. Then Kai sat down and smiled warmly around to each of them – the girls now began to relax because he looked so friendly.

"As you might know, this is a first for us, we've never had fans backstage before. But I hope you all have a good time as much as what you had during our concert".

The girls laughed genuinely, feeling even more relaxed that Kai was talking to them. Megumi took the plunge and spoke first, but bowed her head politely first.

"It's very nice to meet you, my name is Megumi. My friends and I were a bit shocked at first when Hiro-san approached us to say we're invited to meet you because I wouldn't have thought we would be allowed. We had just been waiting for the bulk of the crowd to leave so we wouldn't get squashed trying to get out the door".

The other girls laughed shortly and nodded in agreement. Even the guys couldn't help but laugh briefly - hearing first hand from fans what it was like to be in the crowd certainly gave them perspective. And though Aoi, Kai, Ruki and Reita had been pretty comfortable with the girls sitting with them, even Uruha was starting to loosen up as he leaned forward to cross his arms on the table. Megumi continued.

"But anyway the concert was great! We still wish it was going but then you would never get to rest".

The guy's were really amused at how carefree the girls were. Maybe it was just because they'd never had fans backstage before, but they seemed to be genuinely nice and not completely hyperactive at meeting the band. Kai smiled as he listened to Megumi and thought she was a very smart and sweet person – out of the five girls he thought she must be the most sensible one. Then Kira spoke.

"Hi, I'm Kira. Oh we can't tell you how cool this is, that you've invited us to your party! And I guess you guys need a stiff drink after the concert, ne? Playing to such an energy-hungry audience must be tough".

Kira said, noticing the half empty bottle of beer in Reita's hand, but as soon as she'd said those words, she realised how stupid it sounded and instantly wished she'd kept her mouth shut. Here she had a once in a lifetime chance to meet her favourite GazettE member and she was making a fool of herself. Kira blushed and bit the corner of her bottom lip out of embarrassment. But Reita, despite being a little drunk, noticed that Kira felt embarrassed over what she said by the way she acted after it. It really made him laugh, and when Kira looked up at him, she felt butterflies tumbling over in her stomach and she found herself laughing too. Meanwhile Mika was also making a fool of herself … the poor girl couldn't look any redder in the face as she stumbled over her words to speak to Ruki.

"A-Ano … arigatou! For the flower, I mean. It was very nice of you, Ruki-san! I-I put it in my hair so it wouldn't get squashed".

She reached up and very gently touched it before continuing.

"Oh … and … for singing to me … I was really surprised but … arigatou! M-My name is Mika".

She practically blurted out her name at the last second, realising that she should have introduced herself first before talking but only just remembered. She bowed her head a little to Ruki before sitting up properly. She swallowed hard and kept her eyes on the table – the image of him singing to her kept repeating in her mind and she was too embarrassed to look at him. Ruki thought that Mika's muddled introduction was cute and he openly laughed, trying to cover his mouth with the glass of sake he was still holding. He then set his glass down and leaned forward slightly to speak to her.

"You are very welcome, Mika-chan. I was surprised to see you in the front row, let alone directly in front of me. But you were easy to spot from then on, so I thought I would sing for you. I hope I didn't embarrass you?"

Uruha leaned back to glance behind Ruki at Kai, Aoi and Reita, who also returned his look – Ruki was flirting with the poor girl! Well, maybe 'flirting' was too strong a word – rather he was doing a good job of making her blush. Well, Ruki had a smile on his face for the first time since they'd left the stage so they didn't spoil it for him. Ruki had wanted some time to find out his sudden interest in her so they let him go. Ai, Megumi, Kira and Kikyo also looked at each other when they noticed what the other guys had noticed. All they could think was where had her luck come from? She was getting so much attention from Ruki that it could actually be deliberate … if only their meeting wasn't a one-off. And by the looks of it, she'd forgotten her friends were there, but they didn't hold it against her because they'd never get the chance to meet the band again. Mika blushed and shook her head as she briefly looked at the table before looking back at Ruki.

"Oh, well no I wasn't embarrassed. Actually … I really liked the attention …"

And what was this? Mika was flirting right back. The girls were just completely dumbstruck as they tried to hide their knowing smiles. Actually they were proud of Mika because she was never that interested in socialising with many guys, and even when she did she didn't have much to say. Maybe it was her overwhelming crush on Ruki, but Mika seemed to just talk naturally with him, as if they'd known each other before … so the girls didn't spoil it for her. Just then a staff member came around to their table and without questioning why the girls were there, offered everyone some champagne. The guys already had their drinks and so declined. Ai and Kira graciously said yes, while Megumi and Mika politely refused for the time being. Kikyo also declined, and to try and make good conversation with Uruha, she explained why to him.

"It's be best for me to not have any alcohol, though it would be nice considering it's not often we can socialise with a famous band".

Kikyo said as she glanced down the line at her friends and then back to Uruha, leaning closer to talk softly.

"See Kira was the one to drive us here but if I know her, she'll have two drinks and that'll be it. I'm going to have to drive us all back to Kira's place to crash for the night. By the way, I'm Kikyo. Nice to meet you".

Kikyo seemed to be the only one not really nervous, as she just joked and talked normally to Uruha; not even worried about what she said. It even showed on her face that she was relaxed, even if she was excited to be talking to him. And Uruha was feeling even less anxious about the girls being there with them once Kikyo started talking to him. He'd half expected her to just babble on about nothing, but he found himself leaning in to hear her speak … and then he actually laughed as well. However Kira had in fact heard what she'd said and reach across Mika to lightly hit Kikyo's arm. Kikyo flinched and giggled at Kira, who stuck her tongue out and then looked away, taking a sip from her champagne glass in doing so. Megumi and Mika leaned forward and made faces as if to say 'we don't know them' before laughing at each other. Ai made an embarrassed laugh and looked apologetically at Aoi.

"Please excuse my friends. It seems they have gotten over the initial shock of meeting all of you … but I will say on behalf of all of us that we really enjoyed the concert tonight. And we're really looking forward to the 'Decomp' Tour. Looks like it's going to be big! Oh, and I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Ai."

"Well, that's good you had fun, Ai-chan, otherwise we wouldn't be doing our job. So it's great to hear that you will also be seeing us during our next Tour. That compliments us even more".

Aoi raised his beer to Ai and she reached forward with her champagne glass to cheers with him before they both took sips. Aoi had really only talked to Ai at that little convenience store for directions but he already felt like he had a head start in knowing her better. Except that the only head start he had was that she worked at a Superb-Mart with those girls named 'Kira' and 'Megumi', but it was something. So now that the whole group had loosened up, they all continued to talk to each other as a group, but Ruki only wanted to talk to Mika. He asking her about the song 'Bathroom' and what she thought the lyrics meant. Of course he knew, but he wanted to hear from Mika. Just then some plates of food were brought over and set down along the middle of the table for them to pick from. A stack to bowls and chopsticks were handed around to the whole group, and straight away they all began to take rice, pieces of pork, chicken, fish, vegetables, sushi and toppings. Uruha smiled at Kikyo as he was piling food into his bowl.

"Please forgive us if we don't act like respectable hosts. We're not used to having guests other than staff watching us eat …"

The girls laughed at him and Kikyo had to set her full bowl down before she dropped it.

"It's alright, don't worry about it. You've done more than enough being great hosts just by inviting us to your after party!"

Uruha laughed sheepishly before quickly shovelling pieces of pork into his mouth. Kai smiled apologetically at the girls.

"Uh … what Uruha means is don't take offence if any of us have appalling table manners … the staff are used to how we eat after a big concert, so it may shock you. Though in our defence, when we all get together outside of work, it's a lot more relaxed … and with a lot less indigestion".

Kai leaned forward and looked down the row at Aoi, Uruha, Reita and Ruki as they were now in the middle of filling their faces. He hoped they didn't freak the girls out so soon. But no sooner had he finished speaking the girls laughed again, realising just how hungry the guys must be after using up all their energy – they must have been waiting for that food to arrive. The girls couldn't believe how nice the guys were about warning of their eating habits, but they didn't mind. At least the guys were polite enough to tell them not to be offended. Normally you'd think that most celebrities were snobs and wouldn't give anyone the time of day who wasn't famous … but already the whole group was at ease with each other. Then Reita cleared his throat and swallowed the food still in his mouth before speaking.

"And when it _is_ just us, Kai does most of the cookin'. Though I must admit because we're so busy with the band and stuff, he does need a _little_ bit of prac-practice".

Reita was looking at Kira the whole time but he was actually supposed to be talking to the girls as a group. He jumped when Kai gave him a sharp jab in the ribs with his elbow. Reita chuckled and looked at him.

"Oh, I said that a-loud, sorry Kai … but he is still _very_ good, and takes _real_ good care of us".

Kira laughed at Reita and Kai, and then came to the drummers defence.

"Well, Reita-san, I'm sure Kai-san is an excellent cook, but the band comes first. I'm sure he has to do a lot when it comes to being bandleader, so I'm sure he tries very hard. Oh, Megumi likes cooking too, Kai-san!"

Kai gave an embarrassed laugh at hearing a compliment that he was a hard worker – this would have to be the first time he'd heard a compliment like that directly from a fan. And he even found out from Kira that Megumi liked cooking too, so that was something they could talk about later if there was time. However Megumi flushed a light red in her cheeks after what Kira said and nudged her to shut up – with Kira being in a tipsy-state she was very talkative and tried to make conversation between Kai and Megumi. Megumi smiled at Kai and then lowered her head slightly to keep eating, also trying to hide her blushing face. Kira giggled and again took a sip of champagne followed by a rolled piece of beef. Ai laughed quietly to herself while listening to her friends chatting to the guys – they were certainly being themselves despite being around a famous band … maybe they thought this was all a dream. Aoi and shook his head at Kai and Reita's little act and smiled at Ai.

"You know, between you and me, Ai-chan, I think it was a nice idea to have all of you backstage, so we can thank Ruki for that. It's always just us and the staff, so not much else is discussed apart from work, but this way we get to talk to others for a change".

When Aoi directed his attention towards her, Ai smiled and finished eating a piece of fish before speaking.

"That's an interesting notion … to see what fans think of you first-hand … but of course, if we didn't like you we wouldn't be here, I guess. So it's nice to meet you properly, instead of this afternoon".

Aoi and Ai laughed quietly together and he nodded as if to say 'you have a point'. Ai went on.

"My friends and I were saying, while waiting out there, that we feel special for being invited … and your first guests, no doubt. And we think your style of music is fantastic – it's heavy but you also input some light rock and even ballads. A wide variety of genres in music is always a good thing".

Ai finished with a nice smile and Aoi smiled back at her. This was their first official introduction, although being the second time they'd met that day, and Ai was starting to feel like Mika – she was incredibly lucky. Megumi, Kira and Kikyo sadly didn't have the advantage but it didn't bother them one bit. This was turning out to be the weirdest yet most interesting and exciting day for the girls and nothing could bring them down from that cloud they were sitting on. Megumi thought that talking to Kai face-to-face was even better than getting one of his drumsticks. And Kira was laughing so much with Reita that she liked him more and more as time went on. Kikyo liked seeing Uruha smiling so much as they talked, and being so close to him now she could see the true colour of his eyes, something she'd always wanted to see … a rich dark brown. Mika couldn't be more taken in by Ruki than if she was actually absorbed into him, which she practically was anyway. She hung on every word he said, and he was the same with her, to the point where they couldn't hear anything else the others were talking about.

Aoi was surprised at how open minded he was with Ai and he felt really comfortable to speak to her, even though he'd only briefly met her back at the convenience store. All of the guys felt comfortable really, and it was barely half an hour into their first official meeting that they had already forgotten about the repercussions if fans found out. Kai was enjoying talking to Megumi in a relaxed environment rather than on a busy street when he was most likely in a hurry anyway, and he was laughing a great deal too. Reita had been dying for a drink after the concert, but he was also trying not to look like an idiot in front of Kira, who he thought was rather cute. Uruha was also enjoying talking to Kikyo about little things, that it made him smile a lot – and talking to a pretty girl only made the situation better. Ruki was so focused on Mika you would think there was no one else around. And the fact that there were five of them and five of the girls seemed even more comforting in a strange way … like it was fate.

--

It must have been almost an hour in the party and the band was really enjoying having the girls company for a change. And the girls were thinking the same thing about them. Ruki liked how cute, sweet and shy Mika acted, and being able to finally talk to her after noticing her all night was a relief to him. And Mika was seeing a much quieter side to Ruki compared to him performing on stage – and she loved it. Uruha really liked talking to Kikyo now, more so when she mentioned she liked playing guitar, mainly acoustic. And Kikyo, when she wasn't talking, discretely admired his eyes. Reita was having a blast talking to Kira because she was getting just as drunk as he was, so it got to a point where they just laughed about anything. And Kira couldn't get over her giggles each time he pulled a weird face or made a joke about one of the other guys.

Kai noticed how honest and mature Megumi was; yet it turned out she wasn't the oldest. And Megumi never realised how parent-like Kai could be towards the other guys, especially with their food – she laughed when Kai talked about constantly having to force Reita to eat vegetables. Aoi also observed that Ai had a very pretty smile the whole time they talked, which she didn't stop smiling … not that he was complaining, she wasn't hard to look at. And Ai loved how childish and silly Aoi was when talking of things he was passionate about, especially for a guy in his late twenties – but she wasn't complaining because she liked it. Long ago the group had finished their main meal and now proceeded to pick from the plates in-between chatting. Of course, Kai objected to Reita not eating his vegetables and Reita whinged back that he didn't like them. Meanwhile Ruki laughed when Mika got onto talking about her being so short. The others tuned in when they heard him laugh.

"Mika-chan, you're not short; I would describe you as delicate. Look at me for example – I'm shorter than the others …"

Ruki pushed away the plate he had been picking from and leaned forward towards Mika, with his arms crossed on the table, and staring directly into her eyes.

"Even if I wear shoes and these guys don't, I'm still shorter. I'm like the baby of the group without even trying … shorter and younger. What I lack in height I have to make up for in other things".

At hearing that last short sentence, Aoi, Kai, Reita and Uruha either snorted or almost spat out their mouthfuls of drink – he made up for in what?! Even Ai, Megumi, Kira and Kikyo had to giggle and hold back louder laughs because they could only imagine what Ruki meant, but poor Mika looked around at everyone, confused as what was so funny. Uruha controlled his laughter and brushed a hand over the top of his hair gently – his gravity-defying hair meant he was actually about six-foot tall. Aoi, Reita and Kai were pretty much the same height so there was no competition between them. And from the looks of the girls when they first walked in, they were not only petite but also none of them looked to be taller than Ruki – Kikyo was the closest. Now that Aoi, Kai and Reita had gotten their laughing under control, Reita then elbowed Ruki in the ribs.

"Hey! You can't talk; you certainly don't act like a _baby_. You are flirting so _badly_ with that poor girl it's _painfully_ obvious. You make her blush anymore she might passsss out!"

Everyone except for Ruki and Reita were once again laughing that the pair, as Ruki stared the bass player down as much as he could – but a funny little red patch was forming on his cheeks. The girls realised just how whacked Reita must be is he was sounding words out and emphasizing others. Mika tried not to laugh for Ruki's sake but had to bite her bottom lip because Reita was too funny. The bass player stared at Ruki and held up a finger to poke the singer's nose, in a very out-of-character manner.

"And you may be younger than all of us _but_ … you certainly don't sound like it. You, my friend, have the most perver-ert-er-ed minds I've eeever known".

Well they couldn't hold it back now – all five girls broke into fits of giggles and laughs, and Aoi, Kai and Uruha were laughing so hard they were almost about to slide off their chairs and onto the floor. That was it; Reita was out of it, especially if he couldn't even say words properly. And it was also strange that Reita would be drunk first because it was usually Uruha off the mark, but Reita provided them with good entertainment anyway. Uruha covered his mouth with one hand and turned away from the group so he could try to stop laughing. Kai was in fits of giggles as his picked up his glass of apple juice and hid behind it, also resolving to stop laughing. Aoi was like Uruha, hand over mouth and facing away, but each time he caught eyes with Ai, the both started laughing again. Reita and Ruki just kept staring each other down, Reita still pointing his finger at Ruki, and Ruki still with that red flush to his cheeks. Finally Ruki turned back to his glass of sake and proceeded to take a decent mouthful while holding his middle finger up to Reita. Mika tried to defend Ruki.

"Aww, don't tease him like that, Reita-san. It's all right; I actually love the lyrics he writes! Even kaa-san likes them, apart from when she hears obscene words …"

Then she made herself blush even more at mentioning her mother not liking his 'language' when singing.

"B-but anyway, arigatou Ruki-san, for saying I'm delicate. It's really sweet … and I-I don't mind you flirting with me-"

Ai, Megumi, Kira and Kikyo's necks almost snapped when they turned to look shocked at her – did she just say she liked Ruki flirting with her? Mika instantly wanted to bang her head on the table after what she said. All of it just came out in one big jumble of words with a few stutters as well – maybe Ruki didn't hear what she last said if it was muddled? She couldn't have embarrassed herself anymore if she tried anyway. Poor Mika let out a little sigh of defeat with a slightly grimaced face and Kikyo pat her back reassuringly. But Ruki had heard her last comment, and when everyone gradually got back into conversing, he looked at Mika over the glass he held to his lips. Mika glanced up at him sheepishly, and to her surprise, he discretely winked at her before taking another sip from his glass. She smiled warmly at him and instantly felt better … she couldn't explain it but it felt almost like he was silently telling her 'your welcome'. To try and get back into conversation, Uruha leaned back in his chair and smiled at Kikyo.

"So, which of our songs do you like the most? You mentioned before that you like acoustic guitar, so I'm guessing you might like all of our ballad pieces?"

Kikyo looked at Uruha and then thought for a second.

"Oh, I'd have to say my favourites are D.L.N, Cassis, Ray, Taion, Miseinen … I'm of a slow song kind of person. Those songs have really good guitar rifts … at least I think so anyway".

Ai, Megumi and Kira listened in to Kikyo naming her favourite songs and nodded their agreement. They were into slow songs too but a good jam like 'Ride with the Rockers' or 'Maximum Impulse' really got them going. After all they'd had a ball during the concert with hearing the likes of 'Shadow' and 'Cockroach'. Also to keep the conversation going, Kai turned to Megumi.

"Oh yes, what are your favourite songs, Megumi? Who knows, we may even be able to invite you to watch us practice one day, so you can make requests. Can't see the harm in that".

_Well_ … that was the end of that too. As soon as Kai had finished speaking, he instantly regretted it because the girls gasped in shock and smiles of delight spread across their faces. He didn't regret saying it in the sense that he didn't want the girls to watch them practice, but rather their manager could possibly have a fit … and the fact that he appeared to be currently absent from the party would explain why the girls were able to get away with being there for so long already! A lump rose in Kai's throat … how could he promise something like that to these nice girls when their manager could quite possibly refuse up-front. But when he happened to break out of his train of thought, he realised the other guys were actually agreeing to the idea too because they were already talking excitedly about it. Reita was the loudest of course.

"Hai, hai, I like the sound of that! It'll be like a party with Live music from yours truly!"

He said with enthusiasm to the girls and they giggled at him once more.

"Hai, hai! And we're the Live band and the girls can be our audience! We can invite them to a practice ne? Come on, just one little practice, Kai? We don't have groupie's!"

And to add to the pressure on Kai, Kira started on the idea.

"Oh _yeah_! Seeing you guys practice would be soooo cool! Can we really make requests? Oh, I so want to hear 'Filth in the Beauty' again, it's so … _filthy_!"

Ai reached over Megumi and clapped a hand over Kira's mouth.

"Kira, shut up your embarrassing yourself and it's not even midnight yet. You'd better stop drinking now before you start running around like an idiot".

The table of ten had quickly turned into a zoo, with Kira and Reita doing most of the disrupting. Reita was practically hanging onto Kai's arm now and the poor drummer was trying to speak but nothing was coming out – he was too in shock. The girls were yet again laughing as Reita was trying to persuade Kai to go see their manager. Aoi reached behind Kai to slap Reita over the head and he quickly let go of Kai's arm to rub his head; clearly it appeared to hurt.

"Hoi, I think you'd better cut down on the beers, your talking rubbish! And that's not a nice thing to say to these nice ladies, calling them 'groupie's'."

He leaned on the table and nodded towards Ai and the other girls before continuing.

"You should be thanking them. After all, they helped us find the venue again; I think we owe them for their kindness, ne? A nice gesture would be to at least let them watch us practice once …"

Uruha, Ruki, Reita and Aoi all looked at Kai, who looked helplessly around at the whole group – even the girls were looking with puppy-dog eyes at him … he was stuck now. Okay, it wasn't really up to Kai, but more like it was up to their manager, but with Kai being bandleader, he was like the mediator between both parties. The GazettE's manager was very protective of the band he was looking after; not just anyone could get close to his boys and if they did, it was under some kind of supervision. And on the other hand, the band couldn't just do whatever _they_ wanted either, without it being run by their manager first. Maybe, when their manager actually did come into the party, Kai could suggest it to him and assure him the girls would be looked after and well behaved? What's the worst that could happen? And the girls were hopeful because they'd never seen a band practice before, let alone a major label band like 'the GazettE' … that is, if Kai could talk their manager into letting them watch.

* * *

**NOTES:**  
1) Reita drunk: From what I roughly know, Uruha is usually the one that loves his drink, but for humor sake, I chose Reita instead  
2) Staff ignored the girls: I highly doubt that something like this would happen, that fans could just walk right into an after party while being led by an official looking person, but they get away with it for the sake of the story (please forgive the un-realism in this chapter)  
3) Guys table manners: I'd imagine they could eat a lot with how much energy they use up when performing, so table manners would just go out the window I think ...

Please read & review :-)


	9. Chapter 09

**WARNINGS:** drunk behaviour

* * *

Kai couldn't look away from the hopeful faces of the girls as they sat staring at him; their eyes seemed glassy, like any moment if he said no they'd start crying. Even the other guys were staring at him, which wasn't helping the situation, and it really made him feel out-numbered no matter what he did or said. Finally he sighed and slouched in his chair in defeat – clearly he had to be the one to go and speak to their manager.

"Alright, fine … I'll go and see if I can find him".

He then pushed back the chair and forced himself out of it before walking away into the crowd of people to try and find the bands manager. The rest of the guys smiled to the girls, who returned the smile to them – also crossing their fingers under the table just for extra luck. Suddenly Ruki noticed a quick, bright flash coming from somewhere and a funny clicking sound. He glanced around wondering what it was but couldn't see anything. Uruha wondered what he was doing.

"Hey, what are you looking for? Kai's already gone to see our manager".

"Hmm … no, it's not that … oh, nothing …"

He turned around to smile briefly at Uruha before directing his attention back to the girls – no one else seemed to have noticed the flash and the sound so he disregarded it.

"Well, if all goes well, it shouldn't be a problem to let you watch us practice … but I warn you, sometimes the practices can get a bit boring. It's much less energetic, there's hardly any stage lighting and we stop and start a lot … especially when something doesn't sound right".

"Oh yeah, we have you to thank for that!"

Aoi butt in, nodding in Ruki's direction but before Ruki could retaliate, Reita started up again.

"_Yataa_! Let's have a _party_! Who cares if there's no fancy bloody lights or banners up on the walls? We're the GazettE; we can turn any boring hall into a party zone!"

Suddenly he appeared to notice something behind the girls and he abruptly stood up, almost sending his chair flying. The girls were once more giggling at him.

"Ne, they're bringing in some sweets! I don't like many sweets but I see some cake with my name on it! Does anyone want anything?"

"Oh, me, me, me! I want something! A large Manju bun with roast pork in the middle! But if they don't have any then just a slice of sponge cake with cream. Your not the only one who can see cake over there!"

"Hey, _I_ called the cake first!"

Uruha, Ruki and Aoi laughed at Reita – you couldn't deny he was definitely enjoying the after party. Give him a few beers and he was the life of the party; Uruha would have been too if he hadn't become so interested in talking to the girls now. And it was also clear, as the girls kept laughing at Reita too, that they had loosened up a fair bit since they first arrived – they were truly enjoying themselves. While Mika was laughing, Ruki watched her face as her eyes shone with joy – he'd never noticed this about anyone else before and it really made him feel light-hearted. He was determined to know more about her because he knew that night wasn't going to be enough time. For the moment though he just wanted to let her feel comfortable around him simply by being near him. He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard everyone giving their requests to Reita.

"Ah, can you get me a piece of chocolate cheesecake? Oh, and with a big scoop of mint ice cream on top. And I mean _big_!"

Aoi ordered and just as Reita was walking past him to head for the dessert trolley he lifted up one foot to push Reita's backside. Ruki and Uruha laughed to themselves at the little stunt Aoi pulled on Reita; he certainly wasn't hiding his character from the girls. But you had a right to say you have to act your age all the time? Even Ai laughed at him because she liked him more when he was being silly. Aoi then looked at Ai.

"Quick, you'd better order something before he forgets. If you like chocolate go for the cheesecake!"

Ai scrunched up her nose in thought while looking at the different trays of sweets, trying to decide what to have. Finally she just gave up and decided to have the same as Aoi.

"Reita-san, I'll have what Aoi-san is having, onegai!"

While Reita was now sifting through the desserts only feet away from their table, Uruha quickly half stood up and angled his head to see what there was to eat.

"Hoi, hoi, don't forget me! Get me a couple of Purin shots! The brandy caramel ones with the thin layer of cream on the top!"

Uruha raised his voice enough so hopefully Reita was paying attention. Ai smiled at Uruha.

"Wow, you certainly seem to be an Alcohol Connoisseur, Uruha-san. I've never heard of Brandy Purin. You must have had them before?"

Ai said this with real interest, remembering back to him on the bonus footage for the Nameless Liberty Tour, when he was talking about his 'Sake Corner'. But Kikyo thought that Ai was making fun of him; she said Ai's name sharply under her breath, staring at her to say 'shut up'. Ai just looked back at Kikyo and mouthed 'what?' – she couldn't understand how Kikyo could be upset; she was only asking. Uruha laughed shortly.

"Oh, not really a 'Connoisseur', as you say … I just know the Brandy Purin by name because I have had them before, hai".

He then looked back at Reita and frowned suddenly.

"No, not those, the liqueur ones! With the brandy in it! Geez … next time he goes to get us some sweets, we're not letting him drink first …"

"Ah let him go, he's having fun".

Came a familiar voice, followed by a slight laugh. Everyone looked up to see Kai just coming back to their table, where he sat back down in his seat, taking a sip from his drink before continuing.

"We've just had a major concert before our next big tour, so he's obviously making up for not being able to drink hard for the next three months".

Aoi, Ruki and Uruha laughed shortly – he had a point. The girls sat up straight and waited to hear what Kai had to say after seeing their manager – fingers were still tightly crossed and hoping for the best.

"So … I've been to see our manager. Turns out he was in the middle of talking to some of the organisers for our Decomp Tour, so that's why he hasn't turned up to the party. Anyway, I told him the situation … oh, that reminds me, Ruki … he said that you should be more tactful when trying to invite fans backstage …"

Aoi and Uruha snickered to themselves and Ruki rolled his eyes, making a face as if to say 'yeah whatever'. The girls laughed as well – they had to admit Ruki had done a risky thing to invite them to the party, especially when it was without their manager's permission. But then the smiles faded and they looked at each other anxiously – did that mean they had to leave? Kai laughed and then looked at the girls.

"But that's not to say he's angry you're here, so don't worry. And he's agreed that you can watch us practice next week – the practice will be held here at Yoshiatsu. He's going to have some access passes made for you now, so make sure you don't leave without getting them. Once you have those, you'll be fine".

Uruha, Ruki and Aoi smiled at the good news and the girls thanked Kai in appreciation for talking to their manager. At least now the guys could now look forward to an interesting practice session with their first mini-audience, and the girls would see for themselves that not much went on during a practice. Uruha was actually hoping to let Kikyo watch him close-up while he played his acoustic guitar pieces – Kikyo was thinking the same thing because she'd see first-hand how they were played. Ruki just wanted to see Mika again no matter what. Mika was excited to be seeing Ruki again, but she was most interested in how he looked without the fancy costumes and make-up. Kai had a feeling the girls would laugh while watching him bang on random drums to see if they sounded right … the staff always did anyway, despite being used to seeing him do it.

Megumi was interested in seeing how Kai practiced because she was curious to learn how he created drum beats for songs – it looked hard! Aoi thought how strange it was going to be to have staff watching, but some fans as well, and Ai thought it would be just as strange to be the only fans to see them practice in person. And Reita? Well they all knew he was just interested in having a party, although the practice wouldn't be a party exactly. Nevertheless he was likely to have forgotten the party idea by next morning when he'd be sober again. Despite also liking the party idea, Kira of course knew there wouldn't be one, but she was still excited to know that they were all allowed to at least watch. However before the group became too excited over talking about the practice, Megumi spoke up, mainly talking to Kai.

"Oh, wait, I almost forgot! Is the practice next weekend? And on that note, what time would we have to be here? I doubt we should be here too early because you guys will need to get organised first, ne?"

Kikyo nodded and looked from Megumi to the guys.

"Ah that's right, we don't want to distract you while your setting up. And seeing a couple of us aren't good at getting up in the morning we'd better allow for those people …"

She glanced at Ai and Kira in particular. Both of them blushed as Kikyo continued.

"And how do we get in? From the side or the back entrance maybe? Last thing we want to do is get lost on the day …"

The guys laughed when Kikyo pointed out that Ai and Kira weren't morning-people and again when she expressed her concern about being lost. Then Kai sat forward to answer their questions.

"Well, in reply to your question Megumi-chan, it is on next Saturday. And while we are all going to be here fairly early, possibly nine, that doesn't mean you have to be here then too. You can come a bit later, but if you're interested in seeing the set-up that's not a problem either. And as far as getting in, just go to the back entrance, it's hard to miss because all of our equipment vans will be there".

The girls nodded in understand and smiled at each other. Then Mika looked left and right at Kikyo and Megumi, a slight smile on her face.

"You two worry too much! It's not like we're going under-cover or something. As Kai-kun just said, all we need are the access passes. I'm sure we can work out how to get in on the day. If anything I'm more worried about being spotted by fans …"

Aoi, Ruki and Uruha smiled down at the table and Kai laughed.

"Ah, I wouldn't worry about fans wandering around the venue, Mika-chan, because they wouldn't know that we're here. It'll be perfectly safe".

The girls felt much better now that he'd reassured them there was nothing to worry about – all they were concerned about now was having to wait a full week for the following Saturday. Mika looked at Ruki and smiled happily because now it was all organised. Once again he smiled faintly and gave her another discrete wink. Mika blushed and looked down at the table to try and hide it. Suddenly a loud familiar voice came out of nowhere, making the group jump in surprise.

"Hey, did I just hear that you could _all_ come to see us next weekend? All right, _that's_ what I wanted to hear!"

Everyone looked up to see Reita just coming back to the table, where he stood at the end holding a tray of sweets. The girl's hearts were pounding a million beats a second because he had startled them but they laughed at him anyway and nodded in confirmation. Reita grinned widely and held the tray up.

"Awesome! Okay, I've got sweets all over the place here, so do me a favour and find what's yours … I'm not sure how much longer I can stay standing".

Everyone was laughing at him again – even when holding a tray of sweets he still managed to entertain everyone, though he was only goofing around with the whole 'I'm about to fall over' thing. He bent down slightly to allow those who's asked for something to take it; Aoi took his and Ai's plate of chocolate cheesecake, both with mint ice-cream as they'd ordered. Aoi looked at Reita as he gave one plate to Ai.

"Hey, thanks for this! But I think you should sit down now, your starting to sway a bit. We'll end up wearing our dessert if you don't".

Ai giggled and nodded thanks at receiving her plate before looking at Reita.

"Yeah, I don't think I want to wear anyone's food. Good food shouldn't be wasted, especially if it's dessert".

Then Uruha stood up to take the two Brandy Purin shots.

"Ah, it's been ages since I had one of these … Ai-chan, see the dark swirl around the edge of the glass that surrounds the caramel?"

He showed Ai one of the shot glasses and she leaned forward to have a better look. The other girls did too.

"That's the Brandy part of it. It's not really an alcoholic sweet; the Brandy is just for flavouring. But the cream on top adds a nice velvety taste".

Ai nodded in understanding, fascinated by how it was made.

"Ah I see, I thought the caramel part was Brandy flavoured. That's really smart just adding the swirl. I will have to try one some time".

Kikyo nodded in agreement with Ai.

"Me too, I've never tried a Brandy Purin. I've only ever had the plain flavoured ones. But those that you have look really sweet, and the cream looks tasty too, Uruha-san!"

Uruha laughed and made a greedy little smile at the shot glass he was holding up before throwing his head back to spill the whole lot into his mouth. Aoi laughed as Uruha made an expression like he was in sheer bliss; he obviously liked them that much. The girls laughed at him too. The Kai obliged in taking Kira's plate with the large Manju bun she'd asked for, then reached over to gently set it down for her. Kira blinked in surprise at the size of the bun – it was slightly bigger than her clenched fist. She smiled brightly at Kai and Reita before quickly cutting it open with a knife. Finally Reita slumped into his seat and set his plate of cake down on the table before setting the tray down in the middle of the table. Ai and Aoi were right into eating their chocolate cheesecake as they occasionally smiled at each other. Uruha was taking a moment to let the first Brandy Purin go down because it was _that_ sweet. Reita made short work of his cake, finishing it in only five or six mouthfuls, much to everyone's dismay. And Kira was proclaiming her love for her roast-pork bun.

"Ooo this is the _best_ Manju bun I've _ever_ had! The pork is really sweet and tender; the bun is soft and fluffy! I _love_ the person who made this! Reita-san, hontou arigatou! I wasn't expecting any to be there, but you've just made me the happiest girl in the world!"

Reita laughed shortly and nodded to say 'that's okay'. The other girls were giggling so hard at Kira, yet she just didn't noticed because she was so into eating her roast-pork bun. And though the guys smiled in amusement, they could understand she loved Manju buns very much, and probably hadn't had one for a long time. Mika leaned closer to Kira to smell the pork before pinching a small piece to nibble on.

"Wow Kira, I'm guessing you haven't had one for a while the way your acting. You are fawning over that thing so much we'd think you were talking about a new pet or something. Well whoever made these must be a really good cook, the pork is really yummy!"

Mika finished off the last little bit of pork and made a satisfied sound to accentuate how nice it tasted. Ruki smiled discretely to himself at how cute Mika was in little things she did. Then Megumi and Kikyo leaned closer and pretended to try and pick pieces of pork from Kira's bun, and Kira responded by slapping their hands away or cowering with the half bun to her chest to protect it. The other guys laughed briefly at how they acted and Ai just shook her head when Aoi looked at her – '_I don't know them_' was basically what she said. While the group sat and quietly chatted, and others ate their desserts, another staff member came up behind Kai to get his attention. The girls, except Kira, looked up to when they saw the guy talking softly to Kai. But despite the man talking quietly, they could overhear what he was saying – he mentioned that the staff was about to starting packing up. Kai nodded and turned back to the group as the guy left.

"Saa … it seems the party is almost over, I was just informed that everyone is packing up now. That went much quicker than I would have thought, but perhaps the staff went to get home. It is almost midnight …"

Kai pulled his sleeve up a little to look at his watch – it did in fact show twenty to twelve. It was now that Kira tuned in and realised what Kai just said. She and the others looked crestfallen at each other – they didn't want to leave yet, it felt too early. But as Kai just said the staff probably wanted to go home and sleep so it was understandable. Then Kai looked up at the girls and smiled.

"But don't rush off just yet. They're not going to pack up straight away, so you can hang around for a little bit longer if you like".

"Ooooh … that _sucks_ we have to leave already! I feel like we've only just sat down …"

Reita mumbled, leaning on the table with one elbow and poking absentmindedly at the crumbs left behind on his plate as he stared at it. Uruha and Ruki nodded and Megumi smiled at the guys.

"It is a shame we have to leave, but we all have had so much fun tonight. I mean, we thought just seeing you performing was plenty, but we got to meet you in person too. That is more than any of us could have asked for … then you invite us to see you practice. We really don't know how to thankyou now, honestly!"

The guys laughed together, also feeling rather humbled by what Megumi said – they hadn't expected the girls to be so friendly and appreciative of being invited to a party and a practice, so they were quite taken aback. But even though the whole group would be seeing each other again the following weekend, the girls were still sad to know they'd be going home soon. Then Aoi spoke up to try and cheer everyone up.

"Well, if it makes anyone feel any better, it was actually really nice to talk to fans rather than interviewers for a change. I mean … we made some new friends, ne?"

Kikyo and Mika couldn't help but say 'aww' at how sweet that sounded, and Kikyo made sure he knew that.

"Aww that was a really nice thing to say! You think of us as friends, Aoi-san? I don't think my friends and I could feel more honoured to know all of you as friends. It's kind of cool actually".

The girls all nodded in agreement. Their luck was just through the roof that night and nothing could spoil how happy they were right then. Even Aoi smiled as he leaned forward in his chair to take another mouthful of cake. It sounded weird to him after saying it, but it did sound nice – they'd made new friends? Could it be possible for the girls as fans to be friends with the guys as a major band? There was nothing in the rule book that said the guys couldn't make friends while they were involved with music … it just so happened that they are a group of five pretty and very friendly girls. Fans could quite possibly be jealous if and when they ever found out but that was no reason for the band not to have female friends if they wanted to. If Ruki had anything to do with it, he was determined to see Mika again, whatever it took, to find out why he couldn't look away from her. And not to say that anything would happen between his band mates and the other girls, but if anything did, that could possibly turn out for the better too.

--

The staff had set to packing up gradually, with things like food trays, plates, drink bottles and cups being the majority of it … so all that was left was to wait for the band to finish entertaining their guests. Now the staff just leisurely stood around and continued to chat quietly among themselves – the crowd had dwindled down a bit from a few drunk people leaving earlier. Aoi, Ai, Reita and Kira had had their dessert plates taken away on the tray that Reita had brought them back to the table with. But Uruha hadn't finished his second Brandy Purin because he'd obliged to let Kikyo try it. She couldn't help but blush a little when he insisted she try it, and surely just a thin swirl of Brandy around the edge of the glass wouldn't waver her driving ability. He gestured for her to lean closer, holding the shot glass out for her to drink it.

She did so, allowing Uruha to carefully pour the thick liquid into her mouth – he was right; it was really sweet! The guys had been teasing Ruki about flirting with Mika all night, so what was Uruha doing? The exact same thing with Kikyo. Even the other girls couldn't help but notice what the other guys had noticed … it looked like Ruki wasn't the only one filling to flirt a little bit. It was now the girls thought it would be a good idea to organise their things to be ready to leave, so they pushed back their chairs slightly to reach their bags under the chairs. The guys could see each of them had tote bags full of merchandise and were surprised just because they'd never been this close to seeing what fans actually bought at their Live gigs. Finally when the guys thought the staff was almost ready to tell them to hurry it along, the group began to stand up one-by-one, the girls with bags in hand, and Ruki addressing the girls first.

"Well, this has been a really fun night. I'm glad all of you liked the concert and that you came back to the party. Not bad for our first backstage invitation to fans".

Ruki flicked a strand of hair from his face in a kind of nervous twitch and the guys laughed shortly. The girls laughed lightly and nodded to show they did indeed have a lot of fun.

"And Ai-san, before I forget, this gives me the chance to say thank-you for not giving Aoi away when he walked into the store this afternoon …"

Ai looked from Ruki to Aoi and back when he thanked her for not outing him.

"Oh it's no problem, really! Megumi and Kira didn't know it was him but they were adamant that he looked like 'Aoi of the GazettE', and even I took a moment to realise it really was him. I think the lip-ring was a give away …"

Ruki gave a side-glance at Aoi, who promptly shut his mouth, as he was about to say something in his defence. He just looked away and puffed out his cheeks – there they go, ganging up on me again, he thought. Then Megumi butt in, hands on her hips and with raised eyebrows.

"Ai, I knew it was him! From the moment he walked in I kept saying how much he looked like 'Aoi', yet you kept telling me to shut-up! You even told me I couldn't take a photo of him on my cell-phone to show Kikyo and Mika!"

Then it was Kira's turn, as she leaned over to see around Megumi.

"_Sure_ you did, Meg … I bet you only _thought_ it was him. Once I saw the gig t-shirt I _totally_ knew who he was! Oh no wait … first I thought he was part of the staff, _then_ I realised it was Aoi-san".

The girls just shook their heads or looked at Kira as if to say 'Shut-up, you're talking too much'. She bit her bottom lip and blushed before straitening up shrugging cutely. Uruha, Ruki and Reita chuckled to themselves while Kai pat Aoi lightly on the shoulder.

"Hai … we kind of saw the whole thing from our van and Ruki thought he had blown his cover when Aoi's jacket fell open".

Uruha and Reita again chuckled at Aoi and Ruki smirked down at the table. Kai went on.

"Anyway it was great to meet each of you and we really hope to see all of you back here next Saturday. It'll be an interesting experience, I'm sure".

The girls smiled at each other eagerly – to see the band again in only a week was very exciting! Mika giggled and nodded enthusiastically.

"It's going to be so much fun! We can't wait to see you practice because we've never seen one before. And like we said before, it was already an honour just to be invited to this party. Arigatou gozaimashita ne!"

Mika bowed low but not enough so he head was on the table. Ai and Megumi bowed too, and then Kira and Kikyo followed. As they stood up straight again Reita clapped his hands together with enthusiasm.

"Hai, hai, it'll be _great_ fun, ne? And if you're _really_ lucky you may even get to meet our manager. He's a little scary sometimes but a _real_ softy".

Reita leaned forward and whispered the last part, while Kai and Ruki both held onto him so he didn't fall flat on the table. The girls were amused that Reita had to be held up by his fellow band mates, which showed just how liquored up his was. And when Reita said they might get to meet their manager, they looked at each other nervously – they'd already gotten Ruki into semi-trouble just for inviting them to the party, so they didn't want to push their luck. Suddenly Reita stood upright, almost throwing Kai and Ruki off balance, as he suddenly appeared to think of a great idea.

"Hey! I have an idea! Megumi-chan, you said you wanted to take a photo of Aoi back at the store, ne? Before you go home, why don't we have a group photo together! You'll have a souvenir!"

Kai, Aoi, Ruki and Uruha were trying so hard not to laugh at Reita's behaviour; they all stood hunched over each other with hands over their mouths and trying to hold it in. Poor Reita looked around him in confusion – what was so funny? But despite the girls laughing at him too, they did very much like his idea – a group photo was the perfect thing to let them go home with. Then Aoi pulled himself together and nodded.

"That actually sounds like a good idea. For once me makes sense while drunk. We shouldn't let the girls go home without some kind of proof that we all got to meet. I'm sure the last thing they want is to wake up in the morning and think it was all a dream".

Uruha laughed and nodded as well – he honestly didn't want the girls to go home empty-handed either.

"True … and we haven't exactly got any special gifts lying around here, so if they at least get a group photo each, then it's better than nothing. I'll see if I can find one of our photographers, chotto …"

Uruha stepped out from the table and briskly walked away to find who he was looking for. Kikyo felt butterflies in her stomach and goose bumps on her arm when Uruha walked so close past her – whatever cologne he was wearing smelled really good! The group didn't have enough time to chat while they waited because within a few moments Uruha was back with a guy in a thick, black jacket and glasses … and a very large, expensive-looking professional camera around his neck. While the photographer fiddled with the camera settings, the guys filed out from their side of the table and grouped together with the girls.

Uruha stood beside Kikyo and rested a hand on her opposite shoulder with a peace sign. Kikyo smiled to herself as Uruha placed his hand on her shoulder before angling her head slightly towards him and holding a peace sign too. Kai stood beside Megumi and held a thumb out to the camera. Megumi smiled and kept her hands behind her back, until she changed her mind and held up a peace sign. Reita stood behind Kira and held out a rock-on sign over her shoulder. Kira laughed and gave the same sign with the opposite hand that he had. Aoi was behind Ai too, holding a clenched fist in the air. Ai smiled brightly and held up a thumb to the camera just like Kai. Ruki decided to be bold and loosely draped his arm around her shoulder, then bending down enough so his face was level beside hers – she was at least two inches shorter than him – and he smirked for the camera. Mika blushed a little at what Ruki did but smiled brightly nonetheless and even reached up to hold onto his arm. The photographer realised they were ready and started taking a couple of photos, just to get the right look for the photo. After probably six or seven shots, he stopped and said 'Hai' to indicate he was done, then looked down at the digital screen and pressed a few buttons here and there. The group relaxed and walked over to the photographer, who lifted the camera up to show Kai first.

"Here you can choose which one you like the best. I will print copies for everyone".

Kai took the job of scanning the photos taken to see which one was the best – they were mostly the same, except for being on a different angle or someone had moved slightly. None of the others could see what the photos looked like because Kai was hogging the camera, so they could only wait. Finally Kai smiled and gave the camera back to the photographer, who nodded and promptly went away to print copies. Kai laughed when he realised the group was staring at him like he's just slapped them all – it appeared they had all wanted to see how the photos looked as well.

"Don't look at me like that, all the photos are practically identical. I just picked the best photo for everyone. It shouldn't take long for them to be printed …"

* * *

**NOTES:**  
1) Reita and sweets: A long time ago he claimed that he doesn't like many sweets, but apparently he doesl ike cake  
2) Purin shots: Kind of like a jelly shot. And because Uruha loves his alcohol, they are Brandy flavoured  
3) Manju bun: Like a meat pie, but the filling can be pretty much anything. Could also be known as 'Nikuman'  
4) When Uruha says 'chotto': This basically means 'just a moment'. eg. Chotto matte - Just wait a moment

Please read & review :-)


	10. Chapter 10

**WARNINGS:** minor coarse language, confrontation

* * *

Within only a few minutes the photographer had come back to the group, still with that big camera around his neck, and a held out a stack of photos to Kai before leaving again. Starting with the girls, he handed them out one-by-one so that all ten photos were distributed to everyone. Aoi laughed when he noticed Reita looking slightly off balance behind Kira, and he pointed out that fact to Kai, Ruki and Uruha, who laughed as well. Reita, as per normal that night, wasn't paying attention because he was too busy heartily chatting with Kira. The girls were so excited to be getting their group photo that they could only stare in sheer delight at them, even looking at each other's despite being all the same. They had to laugh and point at each other's photos at how funny and cute the guys looked – much different to their magazine photo shoots. Kikyo giggled and looked up at Kai.

"Kawaii desu ne! Arigatou! This photo is great, the perfect souvenir! Oh I know we keep saying it but we really can't wait to see you again next weekend!"

Ai, Megumi, Kira and Mika smiled to each other again and then to the guys before looking at the photos again. Of course it was cool to be getting a group picture, but they hadn't expected the guys to want copies as well – maybe Aoi and the others really _did_ think of them as friends, and it wasn't just words? If that was the case, perhaps they had Mika to thank for catching Ruki's eye? Each girl was mainly looking at their favourite guy in the photo who they were standing with, not really paying much attention to the others. And Mika was stunned by how nice Ruki was and smiling at the pose he took with her – all this attention she was getting from him was great, but why was he? With that they carefully put the photos into their tote bags for safe keeping – the photos would be going straight into frames once they got home. Finally Ruki spoke up as he slipped his photo into the inside pocket of his jacket.

"Dou itashimashte, at least you are leaving with some kind of present now. And considering you've already got some of our merchandise from today, this is something a bit different".

The guys laughed at Ruki, until they noticed something behind the girls. Kai was the one to raise a hand and wave. The girls turned around to see a large guy in the 'One Night Stand' shirt and with short, thick, black hair coming towards them. To the girls he appeared to be the head of staff because he certainly looked the part. The guy went straight to Kai and handed over a small stack of what looked like cards.

"These are the passes you asked for. Sorry it took so long".

"Ah daijoubu ne!"

Kai grinned and grasped them in both hands as he bowed a thankyou. The other guys also bowed slightly to thank him. The girls were surprised at how deep the guys voice was, but they smiled and bowed politely to him, too scared to speak as he nodded briefly and left the group. Kai laughed shortly at the girl's expressions – he knew what they were thinking as he absentmindedly shuffled the cards.

"Don't be scared of him. He's just a bit grumpy … it's to do with our next Tour. But anyway, please take these. We'll make sure that our guards know your coming, so all you have to do is show these cards to them if they stop you. Just make sure to write your names on them".

He handed the cards out one at a time to the girls, making sure there were five – he was being very particular about ensuring the girls all had passes but he had promised their manager they would be looked after. The passes were very conspicuous looking things that could be spotted a mile away. They were slightly smaller than a CD-cover booklet, the background picture was a washed out photo of the band in their 'Silly God' Disco' outfits. The bands logo 'the GazettE' was printed across the middle with 'Backstage' in smaller print underneath. There was also a white rectangular space along the bottom presumably for names to be written. The girls were just as in awe of the passes as they had been with the group photo, but the guys weren't as interested because the passes were familiar to them. Uruha looked over Kikyo's shoulder while she looked at it.

"Ah I remember those. They are the old staff badges from our 'Nameless Liberty' Final. Sakai-san must have still had some lying around …"

Mika looked at Uruha as he spoke and looked surprised at him.

"Oh these are from your final concert at Budoukan? Wow, that was a while ago! I guess it's lucky there was a few still around for us to use next weekend".

Her friends nodded in agreement. It was lucky for that reason, but also because they got another souvenir. Then Uruha's face scrunched up while he looked at himself in particular.

"That's an awful photo of me. Not only was I getting over a cold but the studio was freezing too … makes it hard to pose in shorts".

Kira squinted at the photo on her pass, because it was so washed out, and looked at Uruha.

"Aww, were you sick that day, Uruha-san? That's all right; you still look _very_ awesome in that outfit! Besides, I'm sure all of you have bad-photo moments sometimes".

The others laughed before Reita had something to say as he looked at Kira's pass.

"Hmm … yeah I must say you _did_ look like shit that day … but it's your _own_ fault for designing that outfit! You just _have to_ show off your legs!"

No sooner had Reita said this but he received a hard punch to the forearm from an embarrassed Uruha. Reita flinched and then laughed it off.

"Iite! Okay, okay, I won't say anymore! Geez, your very sensitive about your thighs, aren't you?"

Then Aoi reached over and clapped a hand over Reita's mouth.

"Alright, alright, that's enough. We'd better go now … I think the staff would like to go home. They've been busy for the last week with organising tonight's show, so I think they want sleep".

Aoi, for the most part, said this in a hushed voice because he'd noticed the staff nearby starting to get fidgety. He let go of Reita and looked at the girls to whisper.

"Plus we need to get Reita into bed soon, before he decides to start dancing or something".

The girls laughed at him and, because he'd heard, Reita made a face behind Aoi's back, but quickly relaxed his face when Aoi looked at him. He then turned Reita around as he ushered the woozy bassist towards the exit. More laughs came from the girls and slipped the passes into their tote bags as well and they followed close behind, with Ruki, Uruha and Kai in tow. The staff noticed the group making their move and they too headed for the exit. One guy, whom the girls recognised as 'Hiro', was waiting just out in the passage ready to guide them back to the main hall. While the staff headed off to the left in the opposite direction, the guys said a quick goodbye to their guests. Aoi shook their hands politely much to Ai's silent delight, and he waited for Reita to give Kira an unexpected but friendly hug, before he dragged the drunkard away after the staff. Kira took a moment to realise what Reita had done before she blushed and giggled at the floor.

Kai and Uruha bowed and also shook their hands politely before following the others – Megumi and Kikyo thought they wouldn't want to wash their hands again, but that was just gross. Lastly Ruki reached out, like he was going to shake Mika's hand, but instead he lifted it up so he could kiss it softly before smiling shyly at her. Mika blushed and lowered her head timidly but kept her eyes on him – she'd never had her hand kissed before. The other girls looked at each other and at Ruki and Mika – had those two forgotten their surroundings already? He seemed to hesitate for a moment, still holding Mika's hand and staring at her, until he heard the others calling him. He snapped out of his daze and let her hand go before waving as he backed away. Mika shyly waved back at him until finally he turned and walked quicker to catch up with his band mates. Once Ruki was out of sight, Kikyo, who was closest, poked Mika's side and she jumped in surprise because she was still watching after him.

"What?!"

Mika whispered harshly under her breath. Ai, Megumi and Kira laughed at her and Kikyo shook her head.

"Nothing … come on, we have to leave".

Mika signed shortly and followed behind the others with Hiro up front leading them. Once Mika couldn't help but look behind her, wishfully thinking that Ruki would be right there, but only pouted when she saw the passage was empty. Within a few minutes Hiro had taken them right back the way they'd come and back into the main hall. The girls were in awe with how eerily quiet the atmosphere was – the stage was almost skeletal with no fancy lighting and music coming from it, the floor was completely clear of chairs so they could walk clear across the floor to the main exit. Coming out into the foyer, all merchandise tables were gone and there was of course no one in sight inside or out – putting into account that it was almost around midnight. Hiro unlocked one of the glass double-doors and stepped back to allow the girls to leave.

"How did you get to the venue? Will you be alright from here?"

He wanted to make sure the girls were all right before locking up. While Mika, Kikyo and Megumi took hold of Kira to guide her away, Ai turned to Hiro and nodded with a smile.

"It's okay, we drove here. We aren't parked far away. Arigatou".

Hiro and Ai bowed to each other politely, then Hiro locked up the front and disappeared back into the main hall while Ai turned to run and catch up with the others. The girls had half expected to run into people and/or fans outside when they left, but again considering the time of night, there was not a soul around, except for the low humming of light traffic on the nearby highway. Just once they turned to look back at the Dome and the only sign of life were the lights still on in the foyer – it was silly to think they'd see the guys one more time before they left but girls can dream, can't they? During the walk Ai giggled and clapped her hands, startling Kira and Megumi either side of her, and Mika and Kikyo behind them, feeling like it was safe to talk about what had just happened.

"Hey, seeing we're on a weekend, why don't we crash at Kira's place? Then in the morning we can pinch each other to make sure we're not dreaming. I don't know about you … but I'm going to have some nice dreams tonight …"

Ai sighed dreamily and cupped her hands to her face. Kikyo laughed at her and poked her side.

"Yes, I must say you were getting along very well with Aoi-san! I could see you two were keeping to yourselves a lot, and he even remembered you from this afternoon, I'm impressed".

"That's probably only because he remembered Kira and Megumi making idiots of themselves by trying to prove he 'looking like Aoi from the GazettE'."

Ai teased Kira and Megumi by emphasising the end by gesturing talking marks with her fingers. Kira and Megumi jumped on Ai in a fake attack and then the three laughed heartily before walking on ahead, arm-in-arm. However Kikyo dropped back a bit to walk with Mika, who was lagging behind a little and looking un-naturally thoughtful – it was un-natural for Mika because she had never looked so troubled in thought.

"Hey … daijoubu?"

Kikyo asked quiet so Ai, Megumi and Kira couldn't hear. Mika looked up and began to swing her bags back and forth as she walked.

"Hmm … I don't know … just thinking …"

"What about?"

Mika looked at the ground.

"It's going to sound silly".

"Try me".

"Well … I don't know what happened here tonight. It feels like we're in an alternate universe or something. How many years have the five of us been supporting the GazettE together, been to as many of their concerts as we can, become Fan-Club members together? And now suddenly within a few hours we've met them, eaten together, got a group photo and been invited to their practice next week …"

Kikyo nodded slowly as Mika said all this – it certainly was surreal.

"And I don't mean to pull all the attention onto me, but I can't understand why Ruki-san would be so focused on me the whole night. I mean … he seemed to only want to talk to me. I know he talked to you and the others a few times, but I feel like he was more interested in talking to me".

Again Kikyo nodded and she smiled at Mika.

"Well … have you maybe thought that … he might like you? A lot?"

Mika blinked, not really knowing what to say.

"Eh? No, that can't be, we only met tonight. How could he know if he likes me in only a couple of hours?"

"Mika … people can't help what they feel. And the fact that Ruki-san is the singer and lyricist of a band only makes him more sensitive to feelings. Plus … the fact he appeared happy when he knew you would come to the practice next Saturday means something".

Mika looked at the ground again and kicked at a couple of small stones on the path. She could hear Ai, Megumi and Kira way in front as they sang along to 'Cassis' – Kira would have started that.

"And he even risked the performance tonight to get your attention … several times, I might add. I don't want to get your hopes up too early, but I have a feeling he's crushing on you, Mika. Well … maybe 'crushing' is not the right word, that's more for high school. No, I think he's _hot_ for you".

Kikyo poked Mika's side a couple of times to emphasis 'hot' and Mika felt her face growing very red but she smiled and nudged Kikyo with her elbow.

"Anyway … much as I like the attention he gave me, he's a very hot twenty-four year old rock star with millions of adoring fans … and I'm an average twenty year old who is sometimes mistaken for a teenager … I rest my case …"

Kikyo giggled and looped her arm around Mika's.

"I really don't think he believes you're a minor, if that's what you're worried about. Hey, even Ai can look like a teenager sometimes when she puts effort into it, and she's twenty-five".

Mika just looked at Kikyo as if to say '_I'm not convinced_'. Kikyo smiled.

"But the point I'm trying to make is, both Ruki-san and you are adults regardless. And the fact he had eyes on you all night means he likes what he sees. And that group photo … need I say more?"

Mika reached into her tote bag and fished around for the group photo. She pulled it out and looked at it under the orange glow of the streetlights. Kikyo pointed out Mika and Ruki.

"See? He even had his arm around you, and you're holding onto it, so you're obviously comfortable enough around him already. And by the smile on his face … to me he looks really happy".

Mika laughed softly and tipped her head to one side thoughtfully while gazing at Ruki's smiling face. Then Kikyo laughed and Mika looked at her.

"Here I am telling you not to get your hopes up too early, and yet now I'm telling you what I've noticed all night. Anyway, try to at least stay calm about it and we'll see next Saturday if my assumptions are true. If he really does like you, his face will light up when he sees you again, just watch …"

She noticed Mika's eyes seemed to widen slightly with delight as she smiled and then looked back at the photo. Kikyo could tell that Mika was now even more excited to be seeing Ruki again, but she silently hoped her assumptions about Ruki were correct; otherwise Mika would hate her for raising her hopes. Suddenly they could hear Ai, Megumi and Kira calling them to hurry up, seeing Kikyo was driving, and the two hurried their walking speed to catch up. In all the time they'd been talking, Mika and Kikyo realised they'd already come to a car park where a single SUV was parked and the others were already standing beside it, engine running and doors open ready to get in. Mika and Kikyo ran the last few meters, and Kikyo went around to the driver's side while Ai got in the front passenger and Mika, Kira and Megumi slid into the back – the five of them welcomed the warm interior. As Kikyo backed out of the spot and drove off down the road, Ai looked at her.

"Hey, what took you guys so long? What were you talking about?"

Mika smiled slightly out the side window as Kikyo laughed off Ai's question.

"Oh … nothing much really".

--

Meanwhile out in the back car park of the Dome, a black van the guys had initially arrived in was waiting ready to take them all home – the driver was in for a long ride, having to travel to five different residents. Kai got to the van fast and opened the side door for the others. Aoi placed a foot up on the side step as he heaved poor Reita into the back seat. The bassist mumbled something that the others couldn't understand as he slumped into the seat by the window and half curled up to go to sleep. Aoi shook his head and climbed in beside Reita while Uruha laughed at him and got in beside Aoi. Then Kai moved to sit in the middle row by the window, followed by Ruki beside him. The same driver from earlier shut the side door and went around to get behind the wheel. As the van slowly pulled out of the car park and headed for the highway, Uruha leaned over the back of Ruki's seat and poked his shoulder.

"Hey … it was your idea to invite the girls backstage to the party, and after spending time with them I admit it wasn't as bad as I first thought. They are all really nice".

Ruki leaned slightly to the right to glance at Uruha over his left shoulder. Uruha noticed Ruki was borderline grumpy again already, but couldn't hold back what he was about to say.

"But you flirting with that girl Mika, what was all that about? Why are you suddenly so interested in this girl? You were so intent on meeting her, so was it worth it?"

Aoi and Kai suddenly felt nervous because Uruha's tone was slightly accusatory, and with Ruki being somewhat moody half the night, it was likely to set him off. Both of them watched anxiously as Ruki responded.

"Yes as a matter of fact, it _was_ worth it. Being able to talk to her face-to-face was what I'd hoped for and I'm glad she came. I wanted to know more about her but there wasn't enough time … so next weekend will be better".

Then Ruki turned halfway around in his seat to get a better stare on Uruha.

"And _I_ was flirting? All right fine, yes I was. But what about you with that damn shot-glass?"

Suddenly Ruki looked very menacing as he seemed to be glaring at Uruha in defence – this was quite unlike him, even on his bad days. The guitarist was quite shocked at Ruki's sudden mood change that he just stared blankly at the singer, unable to say anything. Reita wasn't really paying attention but Aoi was a little nervous – after all if Ruki was in the mood to pick a fight with Uruha, he was likely to get some blows. Though in all the years he'd known Ruki, Aoi knew Ruki could never hit anyone, let alone a band mate and close friend … but he certainly looked like he was ready for an argument. Ruki was just expressing his embarrassment the wrong way and being tired from an exhausting concert wouldn't be helping. But luckily Kai saw the imminent argument and jumped in.

"Alright, alright, break it up! We're in a moving vehicle guys! Uruha stop getting under Ruki's skin!"

Kai pointed at Uruha before roughly pulling Ruki around to sit properly in his seat.

"And you! Do something about that foul mood your in, your not a child!"

Ruki sighed shortly and slouched into his seat – he knew better than to mess with Kai, especially when the drummer could be very dominant when he had to be. Kai lowered his voice to a respectable level again.

"Look Ruki … we know you've had Mika-chan on your mind all night. You seem to like her very much and your probably thinking hard about that … but don't take your frustrations out on us. You never used to be like this. We're all here to support each other, so don't shut us out".

Aoi laughed lightly to himself and reached over to pat Kai's shoulder.

"Ouch, I've never heard you speak like that before and I've never seen you frown that much either. What have you done with the real Kai?"

The drummer instantly laughed like his usual cheery self and Aoi went on.

"Okay yes, Ruki never used to be like this but we'll have to face facts here … he's finally discovered girls so our widdle Wuki is gwowing up".

Aoi barely had enough time to cross his arms over his head before a closed fist came out of nowhere and hit his arms – that had to be Ruki, after what he'd just said. It wasn't a hard hit but Aoi got the picture and decided to keep quiet … getting the singer riled up for the second time in only a couple of minutes wasn't a good thing, especially since Kai had just stopped Ruki and Uruha from fighting. When he lowered his arms to look at the singer, he saw that Ruki was embarrassed by the look on his face as he turned back around. Aoi and Uruha looked at each other with knowing smiles, and Kai shook his head at Aoi before shifting back around to look out the side window. Then Aoi felt Reita shifting beside him and turned to look at the drowsy bassist, who cleared his throat lazily to speak.

"Hey … leave him alone … he's just found the girl of his dreams so let him deal with it his own way …"

Uruha leaned forward a little to see around Aoi, and Ruki and Kai glanced over the back of their seat to look at Reita – what was he on about?

"There's no harm in making close friendships with them … "

'Them' must have obviously been referring to the girls. And with his final 'words of wisdom' Reita cleared his throat and slouched even more in his seat to try and sleep again. Ruki kept his gaze on Reita for a moment longer before turning back to watch the road ahead – selfishly he'd really only wanted to meet Mika, but perhaps meeting the other four girls as well was a good thing for the whole band. Aoi and Uruha looked at each other blankly after Reita spoke – he couldn't have been talking in his sleep, he must have been listening. But what scared them the most was it sounded like the bassist was playing matchmaker in his semi-asleep state. Kai once again shifted back around to look out the window and contemplated Reita's words – he may have been drunk for most of the party but he wasn't stupid. He'd already seemed to make fast friends with the girls; Kira especially. Then Kai glanced at Ruki.

"Hey … can I ask you something?"

Ruki looked at him and nodded.

"Well … you don't have to answer if you don't want to but … you really do like Mika-chan, don't you?"

Ruki knew this was coming, but because Kai had been polite enough to ask him nicely, unlike Uruha just blurting it out, he looked down at his lap and half shrugged.

"I don't know how to explain it, it's just a feeling I have. Like I said before there's something about her that I can't look away from".

"And do you think she may like you in return?"

Ruki wished that Kai could ask him these things away from the others to give him at least a little privacy on the subject, but chances are they would all find out eventually anyway.

"I think so … I hope so … I-I don't know! You'd think something like this wouldn't bother me so much but I tell you what, it fucking does! In the space of only a few hours my frame of mind has turned inside out and all I can think about is her … it's a wonder I could concentrate during the gig tonight".

Kai looked at Aoi and Uruha, who could only look back at him – they didn't know what to say or think. Ruki rubbed a hand firmly over his face, not caring about the make-up still on his face.

"I know I'm asking for trouble … our fans aren't going to easily forget what happened tonight, when I kept going over to her … I can only imagine what Sakai-san will be thinking".

Uruha leaned forward and touched Ruki's shoulder; he looked at Uruha.

"Ano … you may not want to hear what I have to say because of a moment ago but we're all human here. There's nothing wrong with liking someone, and I'm sure Sakai-san wouldn't condemn you for it. If our fans really do care they'll get over it".

Aoi then leaned forward to Ruki's other side and the singer turned to look at him.

"Look, we've spent years making fans happy with our music … don't you think we're all entitled to be happy as well? Sure we're happy with this awesome career …"

Aoi trailed off when Ruki laughed before continuing.

"… but we deserve to have happy relationships too. So if you think Mika-chan is the one you've been looking for … I say go for it. She hasn't rejected you so far".

"Oh shut up".

Ruki said softly but jokingly before smiling down at his lap, and Uruha and Aoi smiled at each other as they sat back into their seats. Kai smiled out his window, content that everyone seemed to be in good spirits again … well … except Reita who was currently snoring lightly. But that little chat seemed to have made Ruki feel better because the atmosphere in the van was calmer and at one point Kai glanced side-on at him to see a slight smile on his face. What Uruha and Aoi had said as a unit really made sense – they were portrayed as young, attractive and available to a huge female fan-base, and as a result, relationships for the guys were almost impossible. Though their manager had encouraged them to try and keep their personal lives secret, he knew all too well that he couldn't stop any of them from having female friends or relationships … and it definitely hadn't deterred Ruki from doing just that.

* * *

**NOTES:**  
1) Dou itashimashite: Means basically 'You are welcome'  
2) Daijoubu: This is a funny phrase, it has two uses - If you say it with a questioning tone, it's like saying 'Everything alright?' and if you say it straight or with 'desu' on the end, it's like saying 'Everything is alright'  
3) Access passes: I really don't know what their backstage passes would look like so I made it up  
4) Ruki's character: He sounds rather out of character in this chapter, but it's hard to imagine how he would act when he likes someone, so I tried to guess  
5) Ruki's mood: When he confronts Uruha in the van, I wouldn't think he would pick a fight just like that, but he's being defensive about Mika, so thats how he appears here  
6) Kai's mood: We always see Kai as a passionate drummer and he always smiles, but there are times when even Kai has had enough and then the serious side comes out. When he confronts Ruki and Uruha here, this is how I imagine he might resolve the conflict as a leader  
7) Sakai-san: Is the bands manager (or one of, as far as I have heard)

Please read & review :-)


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